Business

What a year 2020 was. When it began, the outlook for the music industry hadn't looked so good in decades. Then came Covid-19, the industrial equivalent of a comet hurtling in from deep space. As we emerge into 2021, it's time for some damage assessment. What exactly has been destroyed? Who has benefitted from lockdowns? What has changed for good? And, asks Gareth Murphy, now that vaccines are arriving, can the music business bounce back even stronger than before, and what do those in the industry need to focus on?