Hi-fi music streaming service Qobuz launches in Australia

French music streaming platform Qobuz has launched in Australia.

Founded in 2007, the service says its point of difference is around quality and curation. The quality offered to both streamers and downloaders is as the artist intended, it said, and holds onto the small details that people may not even know are buried in the track.

At its Sydney launch, deputy CEO of the service Georges Fornay said the advent of digitisation, downloads and streaming had democratised music, but led to a sharp reduction in the quality of the final product reaching consumers.

“What sets Qobuz apart is our absolute passion and respect for music, our determination to offer users exceptional song quality, which reflects genuine commitment to respecting the dynamics and the message created by the artists and captured by the engineers,” he said via video.

The other key point of difference to its rivals is human curation, the service said.

It is not driven by robots picking music for you, and “not just about playlists and drip-fed songs that the streaming service wants you to listen to”.

Instead, it’s all about albums from beginning to end, and a human approach to curation.

The service is accompanied by “fantastic amounts of editorial content”, Qobuz said at the launch, including album reviews, articles on music news, artist biographies, interviews and extensive files on music movements.

Qobuz’s head of product, Axel Destagnol, said the platform is all about ‘quality’.

“It’s not just about providing music, it’s about providing quality,” he said in the pre-recorded video. “Quality in sound, and quality in our added editorial content… Our mission is to give music lovers the best possible experience. Qobuz gives you access to the highest quality available on the market.”

Qobuz also revealed its pricing structure.

Studio Premier gives users access to the entire Qobuz catalogue of hi-res and CD-quality albums, all available for streaming. On the Studio Premier Family subscription, up to six accounts can access the service.

Studio Premier on a yearly basis is $19.16 per month (billed as $229.99 annually), while for the Family package, it’s $429.99 annually. For a no-strings-attached monthly subscription, it’s $24.99 per month for individuals and $44.99 for families.

Studio Sublime packages also include download purchases, with exclusive discounts on hi-res purchases of up to 60%. It’s $299.99 per annum for individuals and $599.99 for the Family package.