2 years hiatus of public performance would have been a non-event in the 20th century. You could just have used the time to release some new records.

Yes, COVID has nothing to do with the classical music industry woes. Spotify and its terrible redistribution model is the main culprit.

Of course, COVID might have been what pushed this particular formation over the edge but it is just the extra drop spilling over. Fees from public performance has never been enough to fund a full symphonic orchestra.

> You could just have used the time to release some new records.

If you were a soloist you could have used the time. If you were a 5 piece you could use about half the time depending on region. Larger groups had a lot of problems given time delays in remote communication.