Discover
When we formed Qobuz in 2008, our goal was to offer the digital world the aspects of music fandom that audiophiles, those who love music best, have always cherished. For us, this meant quality sound, quality editorial, and a freedom of choice that wholly excludes bias. As a result of our diverse collective culture and our musical education, our business catered to artists old and new. We wanted to design a service that catered to highly specialized music lovers, all over the world.
First and foremost, we offer music in the best condition possible. That is to say, our music collection consists of recordings as close to the original studio recording as you can get. At Qobuz, we have long worked hard to convince suppliers and labels to provide us with files of a superior quality to mere MP3s! Indeed, Qobuz was the first music service in the world to retail CD-Quality, 16-bit/44.1kHz files, which are available to download throughout our entire catalogue. We were also the first music service to offer CD-Quality, 16 bit/44kHz files for streaming, and another world-first in liaising with both major and independent labels to ensure the provision of 24-Bit Hi-Res files, which make up the bulk of our catalogue today. Qobuz is the first music service in the world to offer 24-Bit Hi-Res files for streaming to its Qobuz Sublime subscribers. And this is not all. With us, expect quality of sound as a given: a consideration that other services often overlook.
Beyond the sound quality we offer, at Qobuz, we have our own, distinct style. This Qobuz style puts us ahead of other music services; it is what will lead you to choose Qobuz over our lesser competitors. We will help you to grow musically, providing recommendations, a stylish service, and a musical experience that breathes. This is why you will choose us.
Every week, the record industry delivers hundreds, sometimes thousands, of albums to our door. Our work is thus twofold: Every day, beyond the media hubbub, outside of the incessant stream of music news, we cherry-pick what is really interesting. We do this across every musical genre. This, again, does not sum up all that we do. Albums of the past constitute a huge, living museum that we work every day to curate and document.
The written recommendations provided by our discographers are not texts copied from record company blurbs, but original texts that aim to enlighten you, and to help you re-discover the world into which that album was born. At Qobuz, we love the album format. We celebrate more than a century of discography culture!
The Qobuz website borrows the namesake from the ancient, symbolic and sacred ‘Kobyz’ instrument, which originates in the heart of Central Asia, and primarily Kazakhstan. Linked to the shamanic ritual, and therefore endowed with supernatural and magical powers so as to ward off evil spirits and disease, the Qobuz is a two-stringed viola made from horsehair and played with a bow.
Whether Qobuz has the same transcendent virtues as it’s namesake is another story – come and find out for yourself!