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Qobuz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Qobuz
TypeMusic service
Launch date18 September 2007; 17 years ago (2007-09-18)
Availability25 countries
Websitewww.qobuz.com

Qobuz (English: /ˈkoʊˌbʌz/, commonly mispronounced: /ˈkjuːˌbʌz/;[1] often stylized as qobuz) 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]

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]

In October 2024, Qobuz expanded its audio quality offer by introducing support for the formats DSD (Direct Stream Digital) in 1bit/2.8 MHz, 1bit/5.6 MHz, 1bit/11.2 MHz, 1bit/22.5 MHz, and DXD (Digital eXtreme Definition) up to 24 Bits/352.8 kHz.[7][8] The same month, it launched an offer for students, enabling them to benefit from a discount on monthly subscriptions, which must be verified every 12 months to verify eligibility.[9]

History

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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 used Qobuz to publish recommended playlists.[10]

Qobuz was unable to secure financing, ran into financial difficulties, and in 2015 was acquired by Xandrie SA.[11]

In April 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qobuz gave 100% of the revenue from each new subscriber's first paid month back to the rights holders.[12]

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.[13] Also that year, in partnership with Quebecor, a Canadian media and telecommunications company, Qobuz launched the music streaming service QUB Music.[14]

In October 2024, Qobuz became available in Japan.[15]

In May 2025, Qobuz launched Qobuz Connect.[16] Announced at the Munich High End show, this feature enables users to stream and control music directly in CD/lossless and Hi-Res quality (up to 24 bit/192 kHz) on all compatible Hi-Fi devices, using the Qobuz application (mobile or desktop) without the need for a third-party application.[17]

Availability

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Platforms

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Qobuz has apps for Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS and Android compatible devices. 30-second clips are available without a subscription.

Qobuz can also be used on Google Chromecast devices and TizenOS (as used on Samsung televisions) devices.[18] It is also available on the music server management service Roon.[19] A web player version (accessed via a web browser) is also available.

Hardware

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The Qobuz app is built into some devices (such as streaming amplifiers) from brands such as Arcam, Cambridge Audio and Naim Audio.[20] In March 2021, Qobuz became the first music platform to offer 24-bit audio streaming on Sonos speakers.[21]

Regions

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At first, Qobuz was only available in France.[20] Qobuz launched in eight European countries in December 2013:[22] the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands; followed in 2017 by Spain and Italy.[23] In 2019, Qobuz became available in the United States after opening a US headquarters in 2018.[24]

In 2021, Qobuz was made available in six more countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Australia and New Zealand.[25] In 2022, Qobuz offered its service in six further countries: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Portugal[26] and in 2023 it was launched in Canada.[27]

Business model

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Plans

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As of 2025, Qobuz has two subscription levels: Studio and Sublime, the latter offering discounts on digital purchases. Both plans are available for one, two or up to six users, and the Studio plan has a lower-priced option for students.[28]

Funding

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In August 2019, Qobuz raised €11.7 million from Nabuboto and the Quebecor Group.[29] In September 2020, the two shareholders raised a further 10 million euros.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wayne Coyne (of The Flaming Lips) | How to pronounce Qobuz, retrieved 19 September 2022
  2. ^ a b "Qobuz – Our history and values". Qobuz. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Qobuz review". TechRadar. 17 June 2023.
  4. ^ "What is in the streaming catalogue?". Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. 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 16 March 2025.
  7. ^ "What are DSD and DXD? | Qobuz Help Center". help.qobuz.com. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  8. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  9. ^ Coirault, Camille (3 October 2024). "Qobuz part à la conquête de Spotify, Deezer et Apple Music avec une offre étudiants à prix imbattable". Presse-citron (in French). Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  10. ^ Jolly, James. "What a vintage!". Gramophone. No. December 2014.
  11. ^ "Qobuz takeover confirmed; fresh investment and expansion planned". WhatHifi. 4 January 2016.
  12. ^ April 2020, Becky Scarrott 15. "Qobuz is donating 100% of new streaming subscription revenue to rights-holders". whathifi. Retrieved 19 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Editorial Staff (25 June 2020). "Qobuz Launches Family Plan Subscriptions". Part-Time Audiophile. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Qobuz partners with Canadian telco". High Resolution Audio. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  15. ^ MATHÉ, Philippe (24 October 2024). "Qobuz, le pionnier français du streaming musical haute qualité, se lance au Japon". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  16. ^ Sparrow, Mark. "Qobuz Connect Goes Live For The Hi-Res Music And Downloading Platform". Forbes. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  17. ^ Kabir, Kashfia (6 June 2025). "Qobuz Connect". What Hi-Fi?. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  18. ^ "Qobuz - Your music everywhere with you". Qobuz. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  19. ^ "POPUP". help.roonlabs.com. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Qobuz review". What Hi-Fi?. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  21. ^ March 2021, What Hi-Fi? 24. "Sonos gets hi-res audio with Qobuz first to enable 24-bit streaming". whathifi. Retrieved 20 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Press Release" (PDF). Qobuz. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  23. ^ Qobuz. "Qobuz, now available in Italy and Spain". The Qobuz Blog. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  24. ^ "Qobuz Comes to the U.S.A." The Absolute Sound. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  25. ^ Sparrow, Mark. "Hi-Res Streaming Service Qobuz Launches In Australia, New Zealand And Scandinavia". Forbes. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  26. ^ Newman, Tom (10 May 2022). "Your music is now available on Qobuz in Latin America and Portugal". RouteNote Blog. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  27. ^ Qobuz. "Qobuz, the High-Quality Music Streaming and Download Platform, Launches Today in Canada". The Qobuz Blog. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Streaming plans". Qobuz. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  29. ^ "Hi-Res music service Qobuz raises $11m to fund global expansion". Digital Music News. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Hi-Res music service Qobuz raises $11m to fund global expansion". Music Business Worldwide. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
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