The Music Industry Is Fine. The Music Industry Is Broken. Here Are 26 Reasons It's Both.

From the death of opening acts to the global explosion of new sounds

Hi there, welcome to Found Object!

Before I dive into the strange contradictions of music in 2026, here are a few found objects that completely took over my week. Watching Drops of God on Apple TV and Blossoms Shanghai on Criterion, two slow burns slowly winning me over; reading a great Chuck Klosterman interview by my friend Andrew Murfett; blasting Kim Gordon’s new record because she’s 71 and still couldn’t care less what anyone thinks; revisiting Bob Mould’s entire catalog now that Sugar is back on tour; and losing hours to Slay the Spire 2. Good times!

Ah, and before I forget. I put together a playlist for you with a mix of new songs and a few old gems that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Now, let’s get down to business. Here’s this week’s article.