S&V: If you had to single out one attribute that really sets Qobuz apart from other streaming/download services, what would it be?ĭS: Aside from the obvious sound quality, we have a great emphasis on editorial content with thousands of digital booklets written specifically for the deep music lover and those who want to learn more about the music. When they hired me to do just that, I knew this wasn’t just idle conversation. Denis and Yann are excited to launch Qobuz in North America as well as actually support high-end manufacturers, press, stores, and the high-end community. Qobuz recently hired music-industry veteran Yann Miossec - who was VP of Warner Music France for 12 years - as CEO. Qobuz also has the largest collection of 24-bit high-resolution tracks anywhere, including major artists in every genre.
The library is comparable with the competition and growing constantly.
#Qobuz player download#
Members of our top tier, Sublime+, can buy and download high-resolution tracks for about the same price as an MP3 on iTunes. Qobuz is also the first hybrid service that combines the best of both worlds: high-resolution streaming and download.
Qobuz “unfolds” resolutions from 16/44 to 24/192 on any computer or capable device from FLAC files. There’s no need for a special DAC or server. Unlike Apple and Tidal, Qobuz will be the first streaming platform in North America that offers true high-resolution music, up to 24/192. S&V: What differentiates Qobuz from other music providers, especially Tidal?ĭS: Qobuz, is more like Apple Music, if it were high-resolution. Xandrie president Denis Thebaud is totally committed to Qobuz and the goal of bringing the world high-resolution music. Why did you wait so long to bring the service to the U.S.?ĭS: Like most streaming services, Qobuz has had ups and downs, but in 2015, it was bought by Xandrie, a very solid French company, which owns a wide range of other companies in the entertainment and technology sector. S&V: The company has been around since 2007. With Qobuz, it is all about the music, but if you want to banish a few evil spirits and maybe live a little longer at the same time, you might want to sign up sooner than later. I personally love the name, and what it represents. According to legends, the Qobuz and its music could banish evil spirits, sicknesses, and death. The name is derived from a sacred Kazakh instrument, owned and played by spiritual shamans. Qobuz is an ancient Central Asian two-stringed instrument with horsehair strings that resonate in a leather cavity.
S&V: Why Qobuz? What’s the story behind the unusual name?ĭS: The name Qobuz - pronounced “ko-buzz” - represents the extraordinary power of music.
#Qobuz player full#
This is on top of the 40 million 16-bit/44-kHz full resolution cuts. We feature over 130,000 albums (about 2 million tracks) in high resolution available for streaming and download. There will be several levels of service and we’re planning a soft launch at CEDIA Expo in September and coming full force as the official streaming partner at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in October. Qobuz, is a high-resolution hybrid streaming and download service from France. Can you provide an overview?ĭavid Solomon: Sure, and thank you for the interest. S&V: Let’s start with some background on Qobuz, a music streaming/download service many Americans have heard of but don’t know much about. We checked in with AV industry veteran David Solomon, newly appointed Chief High-Res Evangelist for Qobuz, to learn more about the music service and its unusual name. Qobuz (pronounced “ko-buzz”) is coming to the States this fall, armed with a 2-million-track arsenal of hi-res music and a web portal that makes Tidal’s slick homepage seem confined.