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

Qobuz (English: /ˈkoʊˌbʌz/)[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 offered 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.

Streamed music is available in MP3 at 320 kbit/s, CD-DA quality lossless (16-bit/44.1 kHz)[4] and hi-resolution quality lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) for some tracks.[5] The formats available for individually-purchased songs are WAV, AIFF, ALAC and FLAC for hi-res quality, lossless WMA for CD quality music, and MP3, standard WMA and AAC for lossy quality (at 128 kbit/s or 320 kbit/s).[6]

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

History

Qobuz was founded in 2007 by Denis Thébaud. 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 has apps for Microsoft Windows (which may also work on Linux computers with recent versions of Wine[12]), macOS, iOS and Android compatible 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 on Google Chromecast devices and TizenOS (as used on Samsung televisions) devices.[13] It's also available on the music server management service Roon.[14] A web player version (accessed via an internet browser) is also available.

Hardware

The Qobuz app is built in to some devices (such as streaming amplifiers) from brands such as Cambridge Audio and Naim Audio. In March 2021, Qobuz became the first music platform to offer 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, Qobuz 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. 1 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  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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