Type | Music service |
---|---|
Launch date | 18 September 2007 |
Availability | 25 countries |
Website | www |
Qobuz (US: /ˈkoʊˌbʌz/, UK: /ˈkəʊˌbʌz/,[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]
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.[4]
Streamed music is available in MP3 at 320 kbit/s, CD-DA quality lossless (16-bit/44.1 kHz)[5] and hi-resolution quality lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) for some tracks.[6] 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).[7]
Qobuz's name comes from the musical instrument kobyz/qobyz.[2]
In October 2024, Qobuz expanded its audio quality offer by introducing support for DSD (Direct Stream Digital) and DXD (Digital eXtreme Definition) formats,[8] which allow for up to the equivalent bitrate of 24-bit/176.2kHz and 32-bit/352.8KHz respectively. 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]