What DJs really earn

Gigs: Often playing for free to get the exposure, maybe making a hundred quid a night and playing once or twice a weekend if you're lucky.

+ £100 x 50 sets a year = £5,000

Expenses: Probably still buying your own drinks, although transportation costs are negligible. Spending a fair chunk on records/downloads to make sure the set list is up to scratch.

- £25 per weekend on drinks/taxis

- £25 per week on records/downloads

Management cut: Non-existent – there's no point in paying someone else this early on.

£0

Extras: Any mixes will be going up on the internet for free, so there's no additional income; this is very much a second job.

£0

Annual income (before tax): £2,500

Gigs: Anything from £250–£2500 per gig depending on your profile and the size of the club, and playing at least twice a weekend. This is the point when you have a real chance of breaking through with luck, tunes and hard work.

+ £50,000 a year and upwards

Expenses: By this point promoters should be paying for your drinks, accommodation and transport, so any money made on the night should be pure profit. To keep afloat you'll be buying more new music than ever, though. You're also getting more sent to you for free.

- £50 a week

Management cut: You've hired a new agent to boost your profile and they're now taking a cut of between 15–20% for their services.

- £10,000

Extras: Fledgling productions might get signed up to a label, but won't be selling enough to get you very far.

+ £5,000

Annual income (before tax) £42,500–£120,000

Gigs: Should be making between £2,000– £5,000 a show by this stage, and playing three or four sets most weekends.

+ £3,000 x 150 sets a year = £450,000

Expenses: Most things are taken care of while touring Europe, but more far-flung trips may require paying your own air fares and the potential hassle/expense of getting temporary work visas.

- £5,000 on flights/missed connections

- £200 on visas

Management cut: Still 15-20% for each of the rapidly expanding team, including personal assistants and artist management.

- £30,000

Extras: To get internationally known, chances are you're making music – which, depending on crossover appeal could be making a fair wedge from sales but also incur studio costs. Radio play will mean royalties, plus not insignificant amounts of money raked in by the odd 'sync' deal: getting your songs in an advert or film.

+ £10,000 from record sales

+ £5,000 from car advert

+ £2,000 on royalties

- £5,000 studio equipment and hire

Annual income (before tax) £427,000–£1.2 million

Gigs: The sky's the limit. A couple of hours at a small venue would still make £10k at the very least, but most shows will be in huge clubs, or more likely festival main stages, where £20k is the minimum.

+ £15,000 x 75 sets a year = £1.12m

Expenses: All paid – promoters are falling over themselves to book you, so will accept even the most extravagant requests, regularly spending more on your rider than mid-range DJs may earn in a night.

£0

Management cut: This fame brings hangers-on, so your entourage will be pretty extensive; stylists, social media gurus and lighting technicians will all deem their services essential to your success and take a cut.

- £100,000

Extras: Product endorsements are likely, and you'll have the clout to run your own label, with a roster of artists under your wing. You can take your pick of mix CDs, and you might be offered your own series of nights in Ibiza or Vegas, or be asked to play private parties for big companies and dubious dictators – all of which could send your earnings stratospheric.

+ £500,000 sponsorships

+£250,000 for Ibiza/one-off parties

+ £100,000 in record sales

+ £20,000 mix CDs

Annual income (before tax) £1.9m–£50m