Inc. Magazine|Spring Mar/Apr 2020
Unless you’re one of the shrinking number of vinyl record purists, it’s a forgone conclusion that the present and future of music is digital. But, just as vinyl still spins, some music companies have managed to thrive providing a physical product.
Even one in that most prematurely mourned medium, print. Since 1947, Hal Leonard has been making sheet music. Today, this Milwaukee institution, with sales of over $250 million, dominates an outdated industry.
What Hal Leonard does is refreshingly easy to understand. The company represents recording powers such as Sony, EMI, Disney, Universal, and BMG, says CEO Larry Morton: “When they find an artist, then our job is to transcribe and arrange that music. So Taylor Swift’s new album comes out, we get the rights through Sony, and our creative…
