Hard Events Founder Gary Richards Announces His New Position With LiveStyle, Inc.

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Gary Richards (Destructo) has been having an interesting few months. At the beginning of August, it was announced that Richards would be splitting from Live Nation and Hard Events, almost surely making his most recent Hard Summer set his last. But today, Richards has announced, in a story by the LA Times, that he has already begun his comeback as president of LiveStyle North America.

LA-based events company LiveStyle (who happens to own Beatport) has become one of the world's largest festival producers in recent years through their curation of Mysteryland, Electric Zoo, Life in Color, Awakenings and more. As president of their North American chapter, Richards’ new role with LiveStyle will be creating and producing festivals in North America, with a concentration on the West Coast.

“After 10 years I've been doing Hard, it’s time for something new. It’s nice to be able to hit reset and start something new that’s not cemented in people’s heads. I can take all that experience and make it better.” – Gary Richards (via the LA Times)

While fans and artists alike have been vocal about their disappointment with the Richards – Hard Events split, it hasn’t seemed to have affected Holy Ship!, as they recently announced a huge lineup for their 2018 cruise. And although all of us in the electronic music community are feeling less than optimistic about the future of Hard Events, we’re excited to see what Richards has in store for us as LiveStyle’s North America president. Enjoy!