Qobuz Kills MP3s in UK

Today at The Bristol Hi-Fi Show the streaming subscription service, Qobuz, has said that it will no longer offer MP3s.

The Paris-based high-quality audio streaming service says that it's ditching the “inferior MP3-quality” while also introducing an affordable single monthly Hi-Res streaming subscription plan. As of today all albums and songs will be streamed in the UK at CD-quality (lossless) or Hi-Res (from 24-bit/44.1 kHz up to 192 kHz studio quality) for just £14.99 a month (£149.99 with a yearly plan), on the new Studio Premier plan. This offer is available for the first 100,000 subscribers to sign up as well as existing customers until May 31st, 2020.

Qobuz states that the move away from MP3 makes it the only streaming service for true music fans. 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.

Dan Mackta, General Manager of Qobuz USA, told StereoNET:

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!

David Solomon, Chief Hi-Res music evangelist at Qobuz USA, adds:

Everyone can hear the improvement over-compressed music, but not everyone was willing to pay double for this experience. This has now changed. We're now priced close to the largest streaming companies and people who want better sound are leaving their mp3 service for Qobuz in droves. Hi-Res is something you can't un-hear, and now price is much less of a barrier for the best music experience available. 

Qobuz can be found being used in many rooms throughout The Bristol Hi-Fi Show so check it out.