The Los Angeles electronic music scene’s business climate doesn’t appear to have gotten any more mild in 2017. It has come to light that HARD Events Founder Gary Richards has been pushed out of his own company by promoter conglomerate Live Nation.

Murmurs had permeated to the masses that due to longstanding tensions Richards would no longer be booked to play HARD’s annual cruise ship festival, Holy Ship!, and might be forced to step down from his position with the company. Yesterday, August 2nd, he more or less confirmed the rumors by issuing the following statement via Facebook:

To all the HARDfam & Shipfam :

I am leaving Live Nation after this week’s Hard event to pursue an incredible new opportunity that I will share with everyone in the weeks to come. Accordingly, I will not be attending or curating the next Holy Ship cruise event in 2018. I have the utmost respect for Michael Rapino and Live Nation.Let’s make this week’s 10th anniversary show the best HARD event ever! – Gary Richards AKA Destructo

Richards held the first Hard Music Festival on New Years Eve of 2007, but HARD Summer eventually became the flagship event of HARD Events. Live Nation acquired the company in 2012; in the past couple years HARD Summer has become a point of controversy due to two attendees dying during the 2015 edition of the festival and three in 2016.

Gary Richards has not disclosed any additional information regarding his new venture at this time.

Source: Dancing Astronaut