Qobuz Eyes Library Expansion, System Enhancements

David Mackta starts a forum on Reddit, where he receives an influx of questions, mostly regarding their future plans in improving the overall Qobuz experience. (From Dan Mackta himself, as posted on the Reddit forum)
David Mackta starts a forum on Reddit, where he receives an influx of questions, mostly regarding their future plans in improving the overall Qobuz experience. (From Dan Mackta himself, as posted on the Reddit forum)

The expansion includes widening its footprint in the global arena, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

David Mackta starts a forum on Reddit, where he receives an influx of questions, mostly regarding their future plans in improving the overall Qobuz experience. (From Dan Mackta himself, as posted on the Reddit forum)
David Mackta did an AMA on Reddit, where he receives an influx of questions, mostly regarding their future plans in improving the overall Qobuz experience. (From Dan Mackta himself, as posted on the Reddit forum)

Dan Mackta, Managing Director of Qobuz’ United States (US) arm, expects that by year-end the platform has all the records that other rivals could offer.

I honestly think that by the end of the year we shouldn’t be missing anything that the other guys have.

Responding to a question from a member of Reddit’s “r/audiophile” community, in which the company official did an AMA (Ask Me Anything), Mackta said:

“There are a few independent distributors we have yet to sign, and a few that are signed but not delivering yet. I honestly think that by the end of the year we shouldn’t be missing anything that the other guys have.”

In a different thread, Mackta revealed that the French streaming firm is “actively pursuing every notable label and rights holder,” but the challenge arises from some artists’ and music producers’ reservations in releasing their original records for streaming. This makes for a big obstacle as Qobuz is known as the worldwide leader in curating only 24-Bit Hi-Res downloads.

“If you see something available on another service but not Qobuz…it’s probably coming,” he added, noting the company is moving at a rapid pace with the addition of 5,000 to 10,000 albums a day in back catalog over the last few months.

Improving the Qobuz Experience

Alongside beefing up its content offerings, Qobuz is improving the system in for a more accurate and customizable search. Qobuz is revamping the platform by incorporating an algorithm that allows for a music-discovery functionality, the creation of playlists, and a radio function, among others.

“Look for the first fruits of this project by this summer,” Mackta said.

To continue ensuring the quality streamed in the platform, Qobuz is also putting in place a quality control mechanism where users can report any content material suspected to be deceiving in terms of quality.

Logo of the French streaming firm which boasts of over 40 million top-quality tracks intended for audiophiles. (From Qobuz)
Logo of the French streaming firm which boasts of over 40 million top-quality tracks intended for audiophiles. (From Qobuz)

Stretching its Geographical Coverage

Asked on plans of setting foot in Canada, Mackta responded in the positive but admitted a timeline cannot yet be promised, adding there are “still lots of hoops to jump through to launch a new market.”

He added Qobuz is pushing to be present in Australia and New Zealand “as soon as we can.”

Founded in 2007, Qobuz is popular worldwide for a very competitive subscription fee that comes with lossless streaming of high-resolution, audiophile quality music. The audio streaming platform is currently available in 12 countries namely Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the US.

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