Hey DJ Play That Song - For A Hefty Price

If you're looking for the ultimate way to get the party started, then you'll need the ultimate DJ to get the dance floor hopping (do the kids even say 'hopping' anymore?). And the best way to do that is to hand over a fistful of cash - particularly if you're thinking of hiring even a semi-decent DJ.

As everyone knows, the three key ingredients to any good party are guests, drinks and music. Get all three right, and people will be talking about your party for weeks to come. Get just one wrong, and your party will be the flop of the year. Guests and drinks, that's your department. Music - now that's where you'll need a DJ who knows his (or her) stuff. Forget about trying to save money by playing tunes off your iPod. If you want your party to be a raging success, you'll need a DJ who can play the right music at the right time, and keep the energy going all night long. In short, you'll need to loosen the purse strings a little and splash out where it really matters - the party vibe.

If you need some recommendations, allow us to oblige with a few suggestions. Of course you may need more than a few dollars or pounds to hire these music maestros - as they're nothing less than the world's highest paid DJs. But we're sure if you win the lottery you'll be able to get them to play at your birthday party no problem.

Deadmau5

It's the DJ with the almost unintelligible name (pronounced Deadmouse) and the bizarre mouse-head costume (no idea so don't ask). It's also the DJ that's rumoured to be earning $16 million a year - so we guess the fancy dress is working out well for him. Score the mau5 for your bash, and you'll need to fork over a whopping $500,000 for the privilege - but judging by his popularity it'll be worth every penny. We wonder if he has cheese listed on his rider?

Deadmau5

Skrillex

We're not pretending we get the name (what is it with famous DJs and names?) but we get the fact that Skrillex broke the bank with $16.5 million in earnings last year, giving him serious international street cred. Catch one of his live performances and you'll see just why the Skrill (our name for him) is bringing home the big bucks - and why you may have to go on a waiting list if you want to bring him in for your son's Bar Mitzvah.

skrillex

Avicii

You can barely switch on the radio these days without hearing Avicii blaring out of it - which just goes to show how quickly this young Swede's star is on the rise. We don't remember how much money we had in our bank account at the age of 24, but it certainly wasn't $28 million - which is what Avicii reportedly sees when he checks his bank balance. If you bought his most popular single to date, 'Wake Me Up', you can take pride in knowing you contributed to his massive earnings, so well done you. Maybe throw that into conversation when you call to hire him for your cat's second birthday party.

Avicii

David Guetta

Of course David Guetta was going to be on our list - he's one of the DJs that most famously bridged that gap between club DJing and popular music, and he has a string of hits to his name to prove how successful that leap was. Chances are even if you haven't heard of David Guetta, you've at least heard one of his tracks - which means you won't be surprised by the fact that this massively popular European DJ raked in $30 million last year between tours and club appearances. If you have the choice between playing iPod tracks at your party, or hiring David Guetta, we'd go with Guetta. Just saying.

David Guetta

Calvin Harris

You're going to need to have won a massive UK Lotto or Powerball jackpot to tempt Calvin Harris into playing for you - because this megastar DJ earned a paycheque of over $66 million last year! And here we thought DJing was just playing one record after another. Turns out it's much harder than that, and if you're as good at it as Calvin is, you could earn yourself some massive moola from working with pop stars, playing at festivals and taking over the airwaves with hit after hit. If you're stuck on Calvin playing your gig though, you'll have to travel to his resident club, Hakkasan, in Las Vegas to ask. And if he says yes, PLEASE make sure we're on the guest list!

calvin harris

Got enough ideas for party entertainment? Then best you start playing the lotto right now, because you'll need it to pay your DJ bill. If reports are anything to go by though, it'll be totally worth it - so get playing today and get your guests' feet tapping for the party of the century!