DanTDM tops rich list following sold-out tour
British internet personality DanTDM has been named the highest-earning YouTuber of 2017 with a fortune of US$16.5m, bolstered by a recent run of live shows in the US and Australia.
DanTDM, real name Dan Middleton, took to the road with in the US with Live Nation earlier this year, and recently wrapped up a string of shows in Australia, including four sold-out dates at the Sydney Opera House (5,608-cap.).
DanTDM – whose YouTube channel, which focuses primarily on hit video game Minecraft, has almost 17m subscribers –takes the top spot on Forbes’s list of the highest-paid YouTube stars, released today, ahead of fellow gamer Evan Fong. The 2017 list’s cumulative earnings of $127m is up 80% from the $70.5 million the top ten YouTube stars made last year.
Middleton’s net worth in 2016 was estimated at $10m.
Middleton is the latest YouTuber to establish himself as a major live draw, as agents and promoters scrabble to capitalise on a new breed of digital talent. IQ revealed last August that many agents and promoters feel YouTube personalities – and artists establishing themselves on the video platform – are potentially the stadium headliners of the future. “It’s only a matter of time until YouTube becomes a mainstream media platform, and these stars become household names alongside the people who are getting mainstream media exposure now,” said Coda’s Nick Matthews, who represents YouTuber-turned-arena filler Shawn Mendes.
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