Deezer’s hi-def product gets global expansion

PRESS RELEASE:

Deezer, the global digital music service today announced with Sonos, the leading manufacturer of wireless music systems, the launch of Deezer Elite outside the United States, bringing High Definition Audio to music lovers around the world as part of a phased rollout. In the first phase, existing Deezer listeners on Sonos will be able to upgrade to Deezer Elite at no additional cost. Starting on March 19th, Deezer Elite will be accessible to all users. In so doing, Deezer will become the largest global high definition streaming service in more than 150 countries, all offered only on Sonos.

For the first time ever, consumers in Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Canada will be able to access Deezer Elite on their Sonos system following the US launch of the service in fall of 2014. Listeners across the globe can choose from Deezer’s unprecedented 35 million track library and stream lossless FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files at a standard of 1,411 kbps or higher in any room, or multiple rooms on Sonos speakers and components.

“Our partnership with Sonos offers the ultimate experience for music fans, combining the best wireless home music system with the best music streaming solution,” said Tyler Goldman, CEO of Deezer North America. “Given our early success, with over 200,000 new users in the first few months since launch, making the service available globally is a natural next step to satisfy the unmet needs of audio enthusiasts across all markets.”

Music quality has gone backwards from vinyl to MP3s and Deezer Elite helps to restore the balance and bring lossless music as the artist intended to the global streaming music market.

Deezer Elite was made available to Sonos users in the US with the express aim of super serving the needs of music lovers and audiophiles. According to a recent survey of Deezer Elite listeners, the majority of listeners will never go back to listening to MP3 after experiencing high definition audio with Deezer Elite on their Sonos system. Highlights of the study include:

• 65% of Deezer Elite users will never go back to MP3 (with only 4% saying they could go back)
• 90% of Deezer Elite users say high quality sound is important
• 91% of Deezer Elite users say they can hear the difference

While Deezer listeners consume a high number of tracks per month, Deezer Elite listening engagement is even higher, with almost twice the listening time relative to other listeners.

“There is a lot of momentum happening in streaming and it’s going to keep getting better for music lovers.”said Sonos CEO John MacFarlane. “We’re excited Deezer is pushing for even better quality and to bring Deezer Elite to more Sonos customers around the world.”

MP3s made music transfer and sharing easier than ever, but the files needed to be compressed due to storage and bandwidth limitations, leading to a significant loss in sound quality. You can now listen to performances as the artist intended with digital lossless captures of original analog audio sources. With the vast majority of music listeners using MP3 format (320 kbps or lower), the 1,411 kbps standard represents a significant jump in music quality, at five times the bitrate of other services.

Iconic alternative rock band Placebo members Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal welcomed the news: “During the early conversations regarding our 20th year as a band and the subsequent anniversary campaign, it was clear that the subject of streaming was going to be a very important discussion. When Deezer approached us about releasing our catalogue on their new Elite platform in partnership with SONOS wireless audio systems, we were impressed with the advancements in technology and felt that it complimented the music that we make and our desire for people to hear that music in the highest possible format, that no longer compromises on sound quality“

Other Deezer Elite Features:

• Enjoy music the way it was made, as the artist intended
• Get the largest music catalogue in the world at your fingertips, with over 35 million songs
• Discover new music through FLOW and other Deezer radio offerings, recommendations and top playlists
• Synch all of your past music history from any service to get started immediately
• Listen to your music on any device, including smart phone, tablet and TV

Existing Deezer Premium+ subscribers on Sonos will be able to upgrade to Deezer Elite at no additional cost when subscribing for a full year. Sonos promotional users can upgrade for 36€ when subscribing for a full year. Pricing for new users will be announced in March and will include a 30-day free trial. To learn more about Deezer Elite please visit http://www.deezer.com/offers/elite.

Deezer is also extending its exclusive marketing program for professional resellers, who can enroll in an exclusive program with Deezer Elite for Sonos at www.pro.deezer.com