The renowned Dutch DJ and record producer Armin van Buuren is an icon in the music industry right now. He’s one of the world’s most appreciated DJs nowadays and one of the leading musicians in EDM. He’s also one of the first DJs that started the trance movement.
Always on the move, Armin van Buuren never stops from creating good music and impressing his loyal fans all around the globe. He’s got a long career behind, making him one of the oldest in the business and the most successful DJ around today. He has amassed a good fortune as well, a fortune which rises to $55 million.
Early Life
Armin van Buuren was born in Leiden, Netherlands, on December 25, 1976 in a family who shared a passion for music, passion that got to him as well, and from a young age. What stirred his interest even more was the computer his mom won when he was 10. He discovered the many opportunities technology offered in creating music, so he began experimenting.
He then went on to study law at Leiden University and also worked as a DJ in Club Nexus. The law degree was a backup plan and music was always his primary focus in life. After being introduced on the music scene in UK and US in 1999 by Dave Lewis, his DJ career took off.
Professional DJ Career
Towards the end of 1999, Armin signed a contract with United Recordings and released the song Touch Me, which topped the edm charts in the US and many countries in Europe. He united and inspired millions of people on the dance floor through his DJ’ing skills and was rapidly growing his audience around the world, being headlined to more and more shows.
He released his first compilation album, A State of Trance, in 2000, and 3 years later he launched his debut studio album, titled 76, from the 76 minutes that the album lasted for. The same year saw him at number 3 on DJ Mag while his DJ’ing gigs were often sold out.
His second studio album came in 2005. Called Shivers, the album was a huge step for Armin into songwriting, having written most of his songs. Next year he got number 2 on DJ Mag and in 2007 he finally reached No. 1, the first of 5 DJ Mag Awards that would come in the next years. In 2008 he also received the most prestigious Dutch music award, the Buma Cultuur Pop Award.
A few months later, his third album, Imagine, came out, debuting at number 1 on the Dutch Album Chart. The album spawned the single In and Out of Love, which fascinated the entire world and garnered over 188 million views so far.
His next albums, Mirage in 2010, Intense in 2013 and his most recent, Embrace in 2015, completed his amazing shows all over the world, keeping him around as one of the world’s best DJ’s.
Other Projects
With full focus on music, Armin’s other projects couldn’t have been related to anything else but music.
But he managed to create something a little bit different than most other artists out there. He created a weekly radio show called A State of Trance, which first aired in 2001 and still runs today, having more than 41 million listeners from almost 100 countries.
The success of that pushed him to create the A State of Trance events and world tours, which garnered him even more attention and money.
Apart from all that, Armin went on to set up a record label as well: Armada Music, which became one of the most successful record labels in the world.
He also started a sponsorship with the brand Phillips for creating a portable DJ system and a set of headphones, a deal that would bring the artist some great revenues in the long term.
Houses and Cars
When you say world’s best DJ, you would think he’s living in a luxurious pad or something, but Armin has always been very down to Earth. He lives together with his family in a charming Dutch countryside house in Oegstgeest, just a few minutes away from his hometown, Leiden.
We don’t have too many details about this home, but apparently it was purchased last year for 2.7 million EUR and it has ten rooms, including several bedrooms and bathrooms. There’s also an indoor swimming pool, horse stables and a small garage.
But Armin also owns a few other properties, a luxury duplex in Amsterdam Oud-West, just a few minutes away from the town’s wonderful Wondelpark, and an apartment in a historic building from his hometown Leiden.
In terms of cars, we did find out that he seems happy behind the driving wheel of a Jaguar F-Type V8 S, a lovely convertible with a price tag that spins around $65,000.
Net Worth Over Time
Armin van Buuren, the world’s most prominent DJ, has been around for quite a long time since his early beginnings on the DJ scene in 1996.
His earnings rose fast from the gigs at his hometown’s local club Nexus to worldwide tours that bring him over $100,000 per show, totaling to almost $5 million in earnings every year right now.
His net worth is rising exponentially, since until 2015 he had amassed $40 million and today he’s got a nice $60 million. But what’s interesting is that despite his lifestyle, Armin van Buuren doesn’t seem to stop, so for sure his net worth will go up even more.
Last update: January 2021.
