NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Hi-res streaming service Qobuz officially launched in the US today (February 14).
The hybrid download and streaming service, which first launched in Europe some 12 years ago, currently offers users millions of hi-res (24-bit) tracks in addition to 40 million CD-quality tracks (16-bit).
While other high-res music services already exist—Tidal and Deezer both have high-fidelity tiers and Sony recently launched a standalone service in Japan—none have yet become big hits with a U.S. audience.
“Nobody else is offering high-res music like this,” the company’s US managing director Dan Mackta recently told Rolling Stone. “It’s hand-to-hand combat—it’s focused. We’re going after audiophiles in the U.S. who are eager to have high-resolution options for music streaming, especially after seeing their friends in Europe have it. Then, we’re building out to regular music fans who haven’t experienced songs in high resolution yet,” he continued.
Audio connoisseurs can expect Qobuz USA to come with offline listening options, deep metadata, rare jazz and classical tracks and curated editorial content.
US price plans include $9.99/month for a basic MP3-quality package, $19.99/month for CD-quality streaming, and $24.99/month for unlimited hi-res streaming. If an annual plan is more your speed, you can get unlimited hi-res streaming and substantial discounts on downloads for a one-time payment of $299.99.
Qobuz will be made available on all U.S. app stores beginning today.
