Qobuz
 | |
| Type | Music service |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 18 September 2007 |
| Availability | 25 countries |
| Website | www |
Qobuz(US:/ˈkoʊˌbʌz/,UK:/ˈkəʊˌbʌz/[1]) is a French digital music store and streaming service, launched in 2007 by Alexandre Leforestier and Yves Riesel.[2]Qobuz is now owned by Xandrie SA. In June 2023, Qobuz offers over 100 million tracks on its service.[3]
For additional subscription fees, tracks are available at CD-quality and "Hi-Res" quality (24 bits up to 192 kHz). Individual tracks can also be purchased without any DRM restrictions[4].
Streamed music is available inMP3at 320 kbit/s,CD-DAquality lossless (16-bit/44.1 kHz)[5]and hi-resolution quality lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) for some tracks.[6]The formats available for individually-purchased songs areWAV,AIFF,ALACandFLACfor hi-res quality,lossless WMAfor CD quality music, and MP3,standard WMAandAACfor lossy quality (at 128 kbit/s or 320 kbit/s).[7]
Qobuz's name comes from the musical instrumentkobyz/qobyz.[2]
History
[edit]Qobuz was founded in 2007 by Denis Thébaud. From 2014 to 2020 the company had a partnership with the British classical music magazineGramophone,under which the magazine uses Qobuz to publish recommended playlists.[8]
Qobuz was unable to secure financing, ran into financial difficulties, and in 2015 Qobuz was acquired by Xandrie SA.[9]
In April 2020, during the early months of theCOVID-19 pandemic,Qobuz gave 100% of the revenue from each new subscriber's first paid month back to the rights holders.[10]
In 2020 Qobuz ended its MP3 quality subscription plan, focusing instead on lossless streaming. However, MP3 is available as an option. A family plan was also added.[11] In partnership with Quebecor, a Canadian media and telecommunications company, Qobuz launched the music streaming service QUB Music.[12]
Availability
[edit]Platforms
[edit]Qobuz has apps forMicrosoft Windows,macOS,iOSandAndroidcompatible devices. On Windows and macOS devices, 30-second clips are available without a subscription, however a paid subscription is required to listen to full tracks. On mobile devices, a paid subscription is required to listen to any music.
Qobuz can also be used onGoogle Chromecastdevices andTizenOS(as used on Samsung televisions) devices.[13]It's also available on the music server management serviceRoon.[14]A web player version (accessed via aninternet browser) is also available.
Hardware
[edit]The Qobuz app is built in to some devices (such asstreamingamplifiers) from brands such asCambridge AudioandNaim Audio.In March 2021, Qobuz became the first music platform to offer 24-bitaudio streaming onSonosspeakers.[15]
Locations
[edit]Qobuz launched in eight European countries in 2014: United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands then, in 2017, in Spain and Italy.[16]In 2019, Qobuz became available in the United States after opening a US headquarters in 2018.[17]
In 2021, Qobuz was made available in six new countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Australia and New Zealand.[18] In 2022, Qobuz offered its service in six new countries: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Portugal[19]and in 2023 it was launched in Canada.[20]
Business model
[edit]Plans
[edit]Qobuz offers the base subscription, Studio Premier, and Studio Sublime which adds a discount on digital purchases and can only be purchased annually. Both of these subscription plans are also available for two accounts or up to six. [21]
Funding
[edit]In August 2019, Qobuz raised €12 million from Nabuboto and the Quebecor Group[citation needed].In September 2020, the two shareholders raised a further 10 million euros.[22]
See also
[edit]
- Comparison of music streaming services
- Comparison of online music stores
- List of Internet radio stations
References
[edit]- ^Wayne Coyne (of The Flaming Lips) | How to pronounce Qobuz,retrieved19 September2022
- ^ab"Qobuz – Our history and values".Qobuz.Retrieved24 March2023.
- ^"Qobuz review".TechRadar.17 June 2023.
- ^"What are the different audio formats available for download? | Qobuz Help Center".help.qobuz.Retrieved2 September2024.
- ^"What is in the streaming catalogue?".Retrieved18 May2021.
- ^"Qobuz - Discover and understand high-quality music with Qobuz streaming and downloads".Retrieved18 May2021.
- ^"What are the different audio formats available for download?".Retrieved18 May2021.
- ^Jolly, James. "What a vintage!".Gramophone.No. December 2014.
- ^"Qobuz takeover confirmed; fresh investment and expansion planned".WhatHifi.4 January 2016.
- ^April 2020, Becky Scarrott 15."Qobuz is donating 100% of new streaming subscription revenue to rights-holders".whathifi.Retrieved19 July2021.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Editorial Staff (25 June 2020)."Qobuz Launches Family Plan Subscriptions".Part-Time Audiophile.Retrieved19 July2021.
- ^"Qobuz partners with Canadian telco".High Resolution Audio.4 June 2020.Retrieved19 July2021.
- ^"Qobuz - Your music everywhere with you".Qobuz.Retrieved20 July2021.
- ^"POPUP".help.roonlabs.Retrieved20 July2021.
- ^March 2021, What Hi-Fi? 24."Sonos gets hi-res audio with Qobuz first to enable 24-bit streaming".whathifi.Retrieved20 July2021.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Qobuz."Qobuz, now available in Italy and Spain".The Qobuz Blog.Retrieved19 July2021.
- ^"Qobuz Comes to the U.S.A."The Absolute Sound.Retrieved19 July2021.
- ^Sparrow, Mark."Hi-Res Streaming Service Qobuz Launches In Australia, New Zealand And Scandinavia".Forbes.Retrieved19 July2021.
- ^Newman, Tom (10 May 2022)."Your music is now available on Qobuz in Latin America and Portugal".RouteNote Blog.Retrieved16 August2022.
- ^Qobuz."Qobuz, the High-Quality Music Streaming and Download Platform, Launches Today in Canada".The Qobuz Blog.Retrieved6 May2023.
- ^"Qobuz - Unlimited streaming offers - From £12.49/month".Retrieved18 May2021.
- ^"Hi-Res music service Qobuz raises $11m to fund global expansion".Music Business Worldwide.21 September 2020.Retrieved20 July2021.
