QOBUZ lowered its price and said good-bye to MP3

Qobuz, the Hi-Res music service that launched in the US this February, is completely eliminating its MP3 (lossy) streaming tier. Beginning today, Qobuz streamlines its monthly offering to one $14.99 plan that includes unlimited access to its entire Hi-Res and CD lossless catalogue (as low as $12.50 per month with a yearly plan). With their maximum quality plan now available for one accessible price, Qobuz is the first streaming service to say goodbye to the increasingly archaic MP3 and is making Hi-Res and lossless the new standard in the belief that everyone deserves the best quality sound.

Neil Young, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member artist whose early support and ongoing enthusiasm for Hi-Res are well-documented, says: “Qobuz sounds great! Qobuz was one of the earliest Hi-Res streamers. Their new offer is another big step towards making Hi-Res streaming available at the same cost as MP3 streaming today.”

The new Studio Premier plan is a limited time promotion available to the first 100,000 new Qobuz subscribers (plus existing users), who will receive unlimited access to over 50 million tracks in certified Hi-Res or CD lossless quality, along with Qobuz’s exclusive, in-depth editorial and metadata content, for $14.99/month, or $149.99/year). Qobuz will still offer its unique Sublime+ plan, now priced at $249.99/year, which includes all the streaming offerings, plus a substantial discount on Hi-Res download purchases from the Qobuz store (https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/shop)

Dan Mackta, Managing Director of Qobuz USA, says: “MP3 is really bad for music, artists, and listeners – so Qobuz is saying ‘no’ to MP3 and now offers only real studio quality in one accessible plan. Studio Premier is a special offer we’ve been dying to make. With the new plan, we will be pouring gasoline on the growth that has been kindled by our unique relationships in the premium audio hardware and retail industries. Our unequalled editorial and curation in specialist genres, and our focus on the culture around music and audio will continue to create value for listeners. Qobuz does all this because our users’ passion for music is worth it!”

With headquarters in Paris, Qobuz was the first streaming service to offer Hi-Res streaming in studio quality, native 24-bit FLAC format. Since its February US launch, Qobuz’ superior streaming experience has drawn acclaim from the audiophile community and beyond. The Absolute Sound gave Qobuz its 2019 Golden Ear Award, saying “I find Qobuz to be essential,” Hi-Fi Choice named Qobuz its 2019 Grouptest Winner, calling it “The best all-round streaming service available … the one to beat,” and in a contest of sound quality focusing on classical-specialized streamers, the Los Angeles Times declared “Qobuz is the king.”