Hard's Gary Richards on How to Throw the Perfect Party; Three Events This WMC

Photo by Daniel De Las Casas

What does it take to throw the perfect party? Ask Gary Richards, aka Destructo, AKA the man behind the curtain of all Hard events. He's been in the music business since the '90s, working with record labels, promoters, DJs, and everyone you could imagine. By now, he's learned more than a thing or two.

His Hard parties have been some of the most anticipated during Winter Music Conference for about four years. Now, he returns with not one or two but three amazing parties, boasting lineups with some of the most original and talented artists in the game.

But we had to ask, how does he do it?

"That's a good question, because I always ask myself that," Richards said. "I think it's just an evolution of the artists -- constantly picking the right artists. And I think the people that come to our events, they're up for a good time. The crowd and the people that come out always make it special. It kind of constantly grows and evolves."

Richards has been running Hard since about 2007, but decades earlier, he worked hard in the music industry as a DJ and label head, trying to gain exposure for his favorite peers. Back then, he had to rely on outside venues like radio or MTV, and they weren't very helpful. Thankfully, modern technology has changed the game.

"Through all the internet channels, I can educate people on new stuff that's coming," he said. "After all those years of trying to get people into it, now we have all the tools to do it. We don't have to rely on radio or MTV. We can just use our Facebook and Twitter and our email list and our website and turn people on to all this great new music."