Qobuz

Qobuz (English: /ˈkoʊˌbʌz/, commonly mispronounced: /ˈkjuːˌbʌz/)[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.

Qobuz
TypeMusic service
Launch dateSeptember 18, 2007 (2007-09-18)
Availability25 countries
Websiteqobuz.com

Qobuz claims to offer more than 100 million tracks in CD and "Hi-Res" quality (24 bits up to 192 kHz). Purchased tracks are offered without any DRM restrictions.[3]

All music is available in MP3 at 320 kbit/s, CD-DA quality lossless (16-bit/44.1 kHz)[4] as well as hi-resolution quality lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) for certain music;[5] downloads are offered in either WAV, AIFF, ALAC, and FLAC for hi-res quality, with lossless WMA also available for CD quality music only, and MP3, standard WMA, and AAC in 128 kbit/s or 320 kbit/s for lossy quality.[6]

Qobuz's name comes from the musical instrument kobyz/qobyz.[2]

History

From 2014 to 2020 the company had a partnership with the British classical music magazine Gramophone, under which the magazine uses Qobuz to publish recommended playlists.[7]

Qobuz was unable to secure financing, ran into financial difficulties and in 2015 Qobuz was acquired by Xandrie SA.[8]

In April 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 crisis, Qobuz gave 100% of the revenue from each new subscriber's first paid month back to the rights holders.[9]

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.[10] In partnership with Quebecor, a Canadian media and telecommunications company, Qobuz launched the music streaming service QUB Music.[11]

Availability

Platforms

Qobuz can be accessed via a web player and has apps available for Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS and Android compatible devices. The Windows version may also work on Linux with recent versions of Wine.[12] The PC application restricts listening to 30-second clips and a paid subscription is required to listen to full tracks. On mobile devices the platform is only accessible after signing up for a subscription. Qobuz is compatible with Google Chromecast and TizenOS on Samsung TVs.[13] It's also available on the music server management service Roon.[14]

Hardware

Qobuz is available on some high-fidelity equipment from brands such as Cambridge Audio, Naim and became the first music platform to offer high-resolution 24-bit audio streaming on Sonos speakers.[15]

Locations

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

Plans

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

In August 2019, the French platform raised €12 million from Nabuboto and the Quebecor Group. In September 2020, the two shareholders raised a further 10 million euros.[22]

See also

References
  1. Wayne Coyne (of The Flaming Lips) | How to pronounce Qobuz, retrieved 2022-09-19
  2. "Qobuz – Our history and values". Qobuz. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  3. "Qobuz review". TechRadar. 2023-06-17.
  4. "What is in the streaming catalogue?". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  5. "Qobuz - Discover and understand high-quality music with Qobuz streaming and downloads". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  6. "What are the different audio formats available for download?". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  7. Jolly, James. "What a vintage!". Gramophone. No. December 2014.
  8. "Qobuz takeover confirmed; fresh investment and expansion planned". WhatHifi. 4 January 2016.
  9. April 2020, Becky Scarrott 15. "Qobuz is donating 100% of new streaming subscription revenue to rights-holders". whathifi. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  10. Editorial Staff (2020-06-25). "Qobuz Launches Family Plan Subscriptions". Part-Time Audiophile. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  11. "Qobuz partners with Canadian telco". High Resolution Audio. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  12. "WineHQ - Qobuz". appdb.winehq.org. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  13. "Qobuz - Your music everywhere with you". Qobuz. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  14. "POPUP". help.roonlabs.com. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  15. March 2021, What Hi-Fi? 24. "Sonos gets hi-res audio with Qobuz first to enable 24-bit streaming". whathifi. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  16. Qobuz. "Qobuz, now available in Italy and Spain". The Qobuz Blog. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  17. "Qobuz Comes to the U.S.A." The Absolute Sound. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  18. Sparrow, Mark. "Hi-Res Streaming Service Qobuz Launches In Australia, New Zealand And Scandinavia". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  19. Newman, Tom (2022-05-10). "Your music is now available on Qobuz in Latin America and Portugal". RouteNote Blog. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  20. Qobuz. "Qobuz, the High-Quality Music Streaming and Download Platform, Launches Today in Canada". The Qobuz Blog. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  21. "Qobuz - Unlimited streaming offers - From £12.49/month". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  22. "Hi-Res music service Qobuz raises $11m to fund global expansion". Music Business Worldwide. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
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