Viral star DJ AG reveals how much he really makes from social media streams
You might think that DJ AG has well and truly hit the big time after tuning into one of his celebrity-laden livestreams, however, his bank balance isn't always singing from the same hymn sheet.
The social media star - who has hosted street sets with music icons including Will Smith, Skepta and Jessie J - has revealed that his content isn't as profitable as it might seem.
Although he rubs shoulders with household names on a regular basis, he explained that he has 'had it hard' financially over the last few months in a candid new interview.
DJ AG, whose real name is Ashley Gordon, went on to achieve astronomical success after ditching his corporate job to spin some serious tunes on UK streets.
Advert
He decided to take the plunge in 2022 after being encouraged to join TikTok by his two kids, seeing him walk away from a stable gig at a FTSE 250 company that he previously thought was his end game.
The 41-year-old, who hails from Tottenham, now boasts nearly 2 million followers on the social media site, is in the process of organising his own festival and has become as recognisable as some of the music artists who have joined his star-studded streams.
But Ashley isn't afraid to admit that he's still taking a financial gamble doing this, as he can't rely on a steady income.
While speaking to Paul C Brunson on the We Need To Talk podcast this week, the open format DJ detailed what kind of money he has earned from his streams.
The DJ explained that when his content first began to take off, he earned a whopping $12,000 (£9,062) in his first month after becoming eligible to join the TikTok Creator Fund.
He reckons it was 'a combination' of him playing songs that people truly enjoyed and his ability to 'build relationships' with those tuning in that made him so alluring to social media users.
"It wasn't as saturated as it is now," Ashley said. "There's a lot more creators now, it's a lot harder to do things."
The music lover recalled how he realised that his passion could 'make enough money to pay the bills', which came as a great relief.
"There was a lot of sleepless nights," Ashley went on. "My mum was very anxious and worried because obviously I had a mortgage, I got kids, like family. She was scared.
"And that added a little bit of pressure to me because I'm like, 'Right, I have to make this work'. But for the first maybe 12 months, I had a lot of sleepless nights. There was a lot of fear there."
What money DJ AG makes
He's since welcomed stars including Burna Boy, Daniel Bedingfield, Maverick Sabre, Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora behind the decks with him, which obviously attracts a ton of attention online.
But he doesn't rake in the big bucks from every single livestream he conducts, especially if they don't have the added bonus of featuring a well known face.
"This month, I made nothing," Ashley told the podcast host. "The last few months I've had it hard, in terms of not making money.
"This week, I went to a care home on Monday. I go live on TikTok. People love the content, they love it. I earned $7 (£5.29) for that TikTok stream. It's an hour.
"Then I went to another care home on Wednesday and earned $11 (£8.31) for that stream."
DJ AG continued: "The last six months I've had it hard. If something doesn't change, I'm going to have to really pivot and maybe go back inside for a little while, build myself up again and then go again.
"People think I've got money. But I'm just honest with it. If I have, I have. If I haven't, I haven't."
Although he's going through something of a rough patch at the moment, the viral star doesn't regret ditching his trouser suits and sitting behind a desk for a tracksuit and being behind the decks.
"I'm catching a vibe, man," Ashley said of his TikTok streams. "I can support my family, and everyone else on TikTok is having a good time. What's there to be upset about?
"I'm free from this matrix of being told what to do, how to do it, clocking at this time. I'm free from that."
Topics: Money, Social Media, TikTok, Viral, Jobs
Olivia Burke