Qobuz makes a play to be the Classical music streamer saying that 19% of its catalogue is Classical according to a recent statement by the company. Following on from the recent launch of Apple Music Classical, Qobuz points out that its has been streaming Classical music since its founding in 2007 and has offered classical music fans exclusive content, classical music-centred curation, editorial, playlists, and more. As it has evolved from its French roots, through its 2019 launch in the US as its first-ever 24-bit HiRes streamer, and with its expansion into Canada scheduled for May this year (its 26th country worldwide), Qobuz has maintained this specialty.
Mark Swed, the LA Times’ classical critic observed that Qobuz’ immersive experience for classical music fans made it “the greatest record store that has ever existed.”
Qobuz Classical music features
- Providing the most, and best-sounding variety of classical compositions (for fans who really care how their music sounds) – classical music represents a full 19% of Qobuz’ HiRes catalogue
- Within Qobuz’ editorial catalogue, more than 900+ articles and interviews on or about classical music are featured. Nearly half of all of Qobuz’ exclusive editorial reviews are of classical music albums.
- The best metadata, for listeners who use it most – Classical music listeners are often looking for a specific performance, in a specific year, from a specific orchestra – and Qobuz’ extremely rich metadata (full album credits, PDF booklets) makes it easier than anywhere else to search for and find exactly what they’re looking for.
- Year-over-year increase in genre emphasis (building off an already strong focus) – in the last two years, the number of Qobuz’ playlists featuring classical music have increased by 41.91%
- Partnerships with five global classical music labels, and an exclusive recording and release done with musicians on the avant-garde neo-classical label Mercury KX
Visitors to AXPONA 2023, North America’s biggest audio conference (April 14-16, 2023 in Schaumburg, IL) will be able to attend a number of panels and presentations including one titled Streaming Hi-Res with Qobuz. There will also be a Qobuz booth where attendees can demo the service on a variety of headphone set-ups. All attendees will receive a complimentary 3-month free trial of Qobuz streaming.
