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Qobuz

Qobuz
TypeMusic service
Launch date18 September 2007; 17 years ago (2007-09-18)
Availability26 countries
Websitewww.qobuz.com

Qobuz (English: /ˈkoʊˌbʌz/, commonly mispronounced /ˈkjuːˌbʌz/;[1] often stylized as qobuz) is a digital music store and streaming service, launched in France in 2007 by Alexandre Leforestier and Yves Riesel. Qobuz is now owned by Xandrie SA. By June 2023, Qobuz offered over 100 million tracks.[2]

History

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Qobuz was founded in 2007 by Alexandre Leforestier and Yves Riesel.[3] The name comes from the musical instrument kobyz/qobyz.[4]

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.[5]

Qobuz was unable to secure financing, ran into financial difficulties, and in 2015 was acquired by Xandrie SA.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8] Also that year, in partnership with Quebecor, a Canadian media and telecommunications company, Qobuz launched the music streaming service QUB Music.[9]

In October 2024, Qobuz became available in Japan.[10]

In May 2025, Qobuz launched Qobuz Connect.[11] 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.[12]

Audio formats

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Streamed music is available in MP3 at 320 kbit/s, CD-DA quality lossless (16-bit/44.1 kHz)[13] and hi-resolution quality lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) for some tracks.[14] 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).[15]

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.[16][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] Qobuz offered its service in six further countries in 2022: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Portugal,[26] additionally launched in Canada in 2023,[27]and launched in Japan in 2024.[28]

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.[29]

Funding

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In August 2019, Qobuz raised €11.7 million from Nabuboto and the Quebecor Group.[30] In September 2020, the two shareholders raised a further 10 million euros.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wayne Coyne (of The Flaming Lips) | How to pronounce Qobuz, YouTube, retrieved 19 September 2022
  2. ^ "Qobuz review". TechRadar. 17 June 2023.
  3. ^ Ouzeri, Malcolm (13 July 2017). "Interview: Qobuz, Music Streaming and Downloading". London Jazz News. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Qobuz – Our history and values". Qobuz. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. ^ Jolly, James. "What a vintage!". Gramophone. No. December 2014.
  6. ^ "Qobuz takeover confirmed; fresh investment and expansion planned". WhatHifi. 4 January 2016.
  7. ^ 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)
  8. ^ Editorial Staff (25 June 2020). "Qobuz Launches Family Plan Subscriptions". Part-Time Audiophile. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Qobuz partners with Canadian telco". High Resolution Audio. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Sparrow, Mark. "Qobuz Connect Goes Live For The Hi-Res Music And Downloading Platform". Forbes. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  12. ^ Kabir, Kashfia (6 June 2025). "Qobuz Connect". What Hi-Fi?. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  13. ^ "What is in the streaming catalogue?". Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Qobuz - Discover and understand high-quality music with Qobuz streaming and downloads". Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  15. ^ "What are the different audio formats available for download?". Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  16. ^ "What are DSD and DXD? | Qobuz Help Center". help.qobuz.com. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  17. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  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. ^ "Qobuz Expands into Japan, Consolidating Its Position as the Leader in High-Quality Music Streaming". 24 October 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  29. ^ "Streaming plans". Qobuz. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  30. ^ "Hi-Res music service Qobuz raises $11m to fund global expansion". Digital Music News. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  31. ^ "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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