24Six Music, a game-changing product that lets you enjoy all your favorite music and remain Internet-free

Imagine streaming music without an internet connection. That’s why Brooklynite CHAIM WEISS left behind his electronics business and instead devoted himself to creation of 24Six Music, a game-changing product that lets you enjoy all your favorite music and remain Internet-free

HOW IT WORKS

24Six is a subscription service that can be accessed on our own dedicated devices, or on any smartphone or the web. Users pay a monthly subscription fee, and artists are paid every time someone streams their songs. Our family player and solo music-only MP3 are closed systems, making them completely worry free, and they can be used totally offline, with an internet connection required only once a month.

WHY I BUILT 24SIX

For my kids and yours. As mine were getting older, they wanted to stream music, and as I have some experience in creating apps, I figured if no one else was doing this, I’d do it myself. The danger of kids playing music on regular MP3s is that their friends can easily share songs and videos via Bluetooth, often changing file names to mask questionable content. On our app, every piece of content is checked by a mashgiach, and the devices are totally locked, so parents can rest easy. Filters can be customized to your own hashkafos so everyone can stream music to their heart’s content, and no one has to compromise on their standards.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF RUNNING 24SIX

Spotify, YouTube et al have been around a long time. Although many people recognize that we’re filling a major communal need, habits are deeply engrained, and getting users to be aware of the dangers of Spotify and Apple Music and change their habits is very challenging.

SURPRISES ALONG THE WAY

I’ve learned how passionate and connected people are to music. It’s clear that a lot of people take music very personally, and because it means so much to them, we try hard to supply the best product and the best experience.

It also surprised me that there are such different tastes in music, even within communities. People might be tempted to stereotype or generalize, but I found out that it’s untrue that certain groups prefer certain genres — the data shows that each listener has their own musical taste. Two neighbors in the same chassidus and age demographic are not necessarily listening to music from the same artists or even the same decades.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT 24SIX

The feedback from people who have made the leap. We get thousands of emails from parents —some of whom have lost kids to Spotify — thanking us for creating a kosher streaming platform. We’ve had feedback and endorsements from rabbanim and roshei yeshivah, such as Rabbi Yaakov Bender. Also, I enjoy making a great product.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE APP

Use our curated playlists. We have playlists for the time of the year, for the weekly parshah, and for the week’s haftarah, which give you the flavor of what is happening on the Jewish calendar on any given day.

MY FAVORITE TUNE FOR LECHA DODI

The old Yom Tov Ehrlich song “Shabbos in Feld,” recorded by MBD on his Ich Hob Gevart album. It’s a three-part song, which fits the words of Lecha Dodi perfectly, and a friend of mine who is a baal tefillah in the bungalow colony always sings this especially for me on those summer Friday nights in the country.

THE MUSIC I NEVER GET BORED OF

I could easily listen to Yaakov Shwekey all day. I never get sick of him. The first time I heard that voice, way back in Summer 1998 or 1999, Yaakov was a counselor in Camp Romimu. I remember being at their Motzaei Shabbos in-house concert in their gym/ hall and Rabbi Armo Kuessous, the head counselor, told me to close my eyes and listen to him sing. I can still feel the pain in my jaw, which dropped down to the floor, because I had never heard anyone sing like that in my life. I still haven’t, and I’ll never forget it. When I asked Yaakov to sign up with 24Six, I told him this story.

A JEWISH ALBUM THAT BROKE THE MOLD

Mordechai Ben David’s Mashiach album, released in 1992, was a real turning point. It ushered in a new generation of Jewish music. There’s a before and after effect, if you listen to the music of the time. The popularity of Jewish music exploded with a new generation of singers, such as Sruli Williger, Mendy Wald, and Shlomo Simcha, and a cadre of still-enduring songs. When I grew up, we seemed to have had just the great MBD and Avraham Fried, and suddenly there was a whole new set — or did this album just coincide with me coming of age and becoming more aware?

WHERE PEOPLE ARE STREAMING OUR MUSIC FROM

All over the world, including India, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Australia, and South Africa. Two listeners come up on my dashboard from Afghanistan, but I have a feeling they’re using a VPN, which conceals their real location. But who knows? We know that some of the streaming devices in interesting locations belong to Chabad shluchim, but others are locals.

THE SONGS I’VE SEEN MAKE A COMEBACK ON 24SIX

When we added Pirchei, Kol Achai, and other old material, we saw customers go crazy for it. I didn’t know just how many of the oldies I grew up with originated from Pirchei, or from Diaspora Band. We also added vintage children’s stories — Rabbi Shmuel Kunda and Rabbi Juravel do incredibly well with the new generation.

MUSIC THAT HELPS ME RELAX

The old Dveykus and Journeys songs that were borrowed for alma maters in my camp days. I spent 18 summers in camp, so those take me right back to the good old times.

THE SONG THAT GETS ME INTO THE SHABBOS ZONE

The Karlin Kah Echsof. I sing it every Friday night.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1003)