HIgh-fidelity subscription music streaming service Qobuz has introduced it’s launching a music streaming service in Japan.
The streaming service will be part of with Qobuz’s present hi-res music obtain service within the nation to supply a “first of its sort” music streaming and obtain platform.
The “first-of-its-kind” superlative probably refers back to the mixture of streaming and downloads, as this isn’t the primary high-def streaming service to hit the Japanese market. Amazon Music gives its HD service within the nation, and Sony Music Leisure Japan ran a high-def music streaming service known as mora qualitas, till the service shut down in 2022.
Japan’s music consumption market is considerably uncommon, in that streaming has made comparatively little headway, whereas bodily music continues to promote nicely. Qobuz sees a chance on this.
“Whereas streaming dominates the worldwide music market with over 67% of income, Japan presents a novel panorama the place the bodily market nonetheless accounts for over 50% of gross sales,” the France-headquartered firm stated in a press release on Thursday (October 24).
“Paid streaming, whereas lagging behind with lower than 30% market share (in contrast with over 50% in different main markets), is exhibiting exceptional progress in a rustic the place the providing stays restricted and dominated by just a few main gamers….
“Japanese music lovers, recognized for his or her excessive requirements on the subject of sound high quality, are an excellent viewers for Qobuz’s high-quality providing.”
Qobuz launched as a digital music retailer in 2007 and was acquired by Xandrie SA in 2015. Its high-resolution streaming service has expanded to 26 nations, together with the UK and Germany in 2014 and the US in 2019.
Its enlargement into new markets accelerated after an $11 million funding spherical in 2020.
“Japanese music lovers, recognized for his or her excessive requirements on the subject of sound high quality, are an excellent viewers for Qobuz’s high-quality providing.”
Qobuz
The service made its first foray into the Japanese market in 2021, when it purchased e-onkyo, a digital music downloads retailer that had been run by electronics producer Onkyo Company.
The enlargement into streaming in Japan “marks a serious turning level, bringing us nearer to our aim of profitability. We’re proud to supply Japanese music lovers a helpful musical expertise combining distinctive sound high quality, editorial richness, and musical discovery,” Qobuz Deputy CEO Georges Fornay stated.
“This enlargement into the world’s second-largest music market, the place streaming is booming, comes at an excellent time and strengthens our place because the undisputed benchmark for high-quality streaming and downloading.”
Qobuz gives “uncompressed, uncompromised” audio high quality starting from 16-bit (CD high quality) to 24-bit/as much as 192 kHz, and now DXD and DSD.
“This enlargement into the world’s second-largest music market, the place streaming is booming, comes at an excellent time and strengthens our place because the undisputed benchmark for high-quality streaming and downloading.”
Georges Fornay, Qobuz
One main benefit for high-res music streaming providers like Qobuz is that the dominant music streamer, Spotify, has but to enter the high-fidelity audio area.
Nevertheless, that will quickly change, because it’s extensively anticipated that Spotify’s upcoming “Tremendous-Premium” tier will embody high-res audio, though this has but to be formally confirmed.
Throughout an earnings name in July, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek stated the service’s subscribers can count on “quite a bit larger high quality throughout the board” on the brand new subscription tier.Music Enterprise Worldwide
