Recorded music has been steady so far. But that doesn’t mean the majors are pandemic-proof.Record labels were expecting another year of heady revenue growth, with no end in sight — until the coronavirus arrived and shutdown large swaths of the global economy.
Now, as the live-music business considers when, and how, to reopen, labels are trying to figure out what the pandemic means for them.Some label executives expect their companies to bring in less revenue, partly because many of their new releases are on hold and the physical market has collapsed.
But there’s also hope that profits could be spared, since spending on tour support, promotion and travel, and other marketing expenses are way down.Although Universal Music Group’s.