Op-Ed: Spotify – It’s Not What It Once Was

by Yaakov C.

I’m writing this as a Lubavitcher bochur, not as a spokesperson or a Mashpia. Just a regular bochur in yeshiva, watching what becomes normal around us, and wondering why certain things are considered normal.

Technology moves fast. Faster than most of us realize. Something new comes out, people try it, and before long it feels like it has always been there. Nobody plans for big changes in standards. They happen gradually, through little decisions that seem harmless at first.

That’s why I think it’s worth talking honestly about Spotify.

For a long time, people treated it like a simple music app. Press play, listen to a song, move on. But anyone who has opened it recently knows that’s not what it is anymore. The platform is designed around discovery, endless recommendations, visuals, and constant engagement. Suggested artists, trending playlists, album covers, videos, and an algorithm pushing you toward whatever keeps you watching longer.

And now they’ve rolled out music videos.

That should make people pause. This isn’t just about listening anymore. The visual side of mainstream music culture is now front and center, and nobody needs an explanation about the kind of content that often comes with that. Pritzos is not some rare mistake you accidentally stumble across. It is built into the culture the app is reflecting.

People like to say, “I’ll just ignore it.” But that mindset has never really worked. Nobody starts with the intention of lowering standards. It happens slowly, one small adjustment at a time, until the uncomfortable becomes normal and the normal feels impossible to question.

A bochur already works hard to stay focused. There are enough distractions pulling at attention every day without adding an app that is literally engineered to keep you scrolling, clicking, and sampling nonstop. It is not just about what you listen to. It is about the environment you invite into your pocket.

This is not about being extreme or fearful. It is about honesty. If something consistently creates challenges that do not need to exist, then maybe the smarter move is not trying to battle it constantly but stepping back and choosing differently.

And the reality is, we do have choices.

Zing and 24Six are two different music platforms built specifically for Jewish listeners. The experience is straightforward, the content is curated, and you are not navigating through a flood of material that clashes with frum values. You open them to listen to music, and that is exactly what you get.

(worth noting that Zing even has free tier)

With these frum apps, you’re not borrowing entertainment from another culture and hoping it fits. It was built with your world in mind from the start.

The point here is simple. We do not have to accept every mainstream platform as inevitable. We are allowed to ask whether something actually belongs in our lives before it becomes automatic.

A frum pocket should not feel like a constant test of boundaries. Sometimes the smartest move is not adding more filters or making more excuses, but choosing platforms that support the life you are trying to build instead of quietly pulling you away from it.

Spotify may be popular, but popularity is not the same thing as belonging.

And in a world full of noise, maybe the strongest decision is choosing the kind of music experience that lets you listen without compromise.