Could you be more specific about what you mean by "classics are pop music"? And by the way, how much were Mozart and Beethoven, who died in poverty, actually paid? I'm not sure – maybe they were given millions, but they just spent it all on beer.

It's possible.
It's popular, and people often listen to it just because it's "classic," meaning that by default, listening to it makes the listener "smarter" than "all those fans of Russian rock/rap/any kind of music."
Maybe CDs with classical music are given away for free 24 hours a day in Moscow, but unfortunately, that's not the case in other cities.
Are "tributes" being made? No. Are they being sold? Of course. :)
So, "in a way, it's pop music."
That's my opinion.