Howard Goodall has a great analysis[0] of how classical music was dying in the 1950s and 1960s until The Beatles indirectly saved it. It had taken a shift to avant-garde and strongly experimental sounds until The Beatles' influence reminded composers that good composition following the fundamentals could produce great music. I'm not tuned in enough today to know if that still holds true, but it was an interesting analysis. He does a much better job of explaining it than I did.
[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQS91wVdvYc