Inside Qobuz: The French Pioneer of High-Fidelity
Founded in 2007, and available in 26 countries, Qobuz stands out in the streaming landscape for its commitment to studio-quality sound. Beyond audio excellence, Qobuz enhances music discovery thanks to a magazine directly integrated into the platform that offers articles promoting all musical genres. Respect for artists is a core value and is accompanied by total transparency regarding their payout system.
We met with Marc Zisman, a music journalist by training, who first managed the Qobuz magazine when the platform launched before becoming Chief Music Officer. Today, he oversees all streaming, download, editorial, and supply chain activities. He talked to us about the international expansion and evolution of Qobuz, the French pioneer of high-quality listening.
How would you describe Qobuz to someone who doesn't know the platform?
First of all, at Qobuz, we don’t do MP3: we offer 24-bit Hi-Res, which is the same quality as in the studio. We were pioneers in this, and we remain the only ones to go up to 192 kHz, whereas, for example, Spotify stops at 44.1.
Our strength is the editorial content. We have a real team of journalists, who write reviews, interviews, features, and all of this is directly integrated into the application. And for curation, we combine human recommendations and artificial intelligence.
Another element that distinguishes us from our competitors is that we always offer downloading: this still represents 20% of our activity. Many DJs or passionate listeners buy their high-quality tracks from us.
Finally, from a philosophical point of view, we respect artists. Not only by offering the sound in its original quality, but also because we were among the only ones to communicate on remuneration: at Qobuz, an artist is paid around €18 for 1000 streams.
What does your typical audience look like, and what changes are you observing?
Our audience has evolved a lot over the years. When Qobuz was created, we only had classical and jazz, because the founder came from classical music. Electro labels quickly arrived, attracted by the sound quality. Then we realized that even fans of metal or indie rock wanted better sound! So we broadened the catalog to reach a more diverse audience.
In the beginning, Qobuz was quite expensive, so our subscribers were mostly people in their forties or fifties. Three years ago, we radically lowered our prices and launched family and student offers (which is also the most interesting on the market!). Thus, many discovered that yes, you can find Kanye West on Qobuz! We have everything, from blockbusters to indie artists.
Naturally, we are very well represented in specialized stores, which has greatly influenced the perception of the brand among audiophiles.
What does "high-quality audio" mean at Qobuz?
Qobuz simply offers the quality of sound recorded in the studio by the musicians. Often, once everything is recorded, the mastering engineer will “degrade” the version for the CD (which is 16-bit), while in Hi-Res, we remain at 24-bit.
For MP3, it’s even worse: it only keeps 20% of the information from a CD! However, when you listen to an MP3, you hear all the instruments clearly, but it’s the finesse that’s missing. It’s like pixels on an image: from afar, it’s clear, but if you get closer, you notice the flaws. With Hi-Res, even when you get closer, everything remains very clear.
Honestly, even on a standard speaker or headset, the difference is noticeable. We did tests, switching from MP3 to 24-bit, and almost everyone will notice it. Whether it’s thrash metal or classical, as soon as you listen under ideal conditions, people are blown away!
What types of partnerships do you offer to support artists?
Around releases, we like to organize listening sessions in unusual places pre-release, such as in studios or art galleries. We did it with Daniel Avery, with Bertrand Belin, and with La Femme at the EDF Foundation…
More traditionally, we can offer exclusive highlights in the form of playlists or interviews that artists will then relay on their networks. We also have the “Qobuzissime,” our prize for first or second albums, often by emerging artists. What’s great is that very often, the album ends up in the top 5 most streamed the following week, regardless of the artist’s notoriety!
Sometimes it’s the artists who approach us, like Melody Gardot, who asked to participate in our show “La Bulle Acoustique” at Fnac Forum. These are interviews in an auditorium, with a real listening experience…
But even crazier: I was at the Paris Audio Video Show 2025, an event for sound geeks. When Thomas Bangalter from Daft Punk showed up at our stand, talked with our team, and told us that before mixing at the Beaubourg museum of art recently, he had downloaded three tracks from us to complete his set.
How does your curation process work?
Our curation is handmade, and that changes everything. Labels often come to us directly, because they know that we respect the artists and that we offer real value. But also because the other platforms are becoming inaccessible, even for professionals.
We have a team of several dozen programmers, mainly based in France, but also in New York and Tokyo. With staff in Helsinki, Melbourne, London, and São Paulo. The result: we do an incredible job of programming, we dig through newsletters, label schedules, but we also go to concerts, we dig, we read blogs, we watch out for little gems.
There are no barriers: we program what we want, all types of labels, from major to small indie. Of course, there will always be a share of big anticipated releases, but we also reserve the right to slip in emerging projects, or even completely unknown ones, if they are a gem.
We like to draw a parallel with the era of physical records: before, you could buy your CD at Carrefour, but for a more cutting-edge album, you went to Fnac, and to really unearth something, you went to your record store. Qobuz is a bit like the digital record store.
How do you choose the artists and content to highlight in the Qobuz magazine?
Nous avons a plus de 43 000 playlists, toutes faites à la main… zéro algorithme ! Et nous sommes libres. Si ça nous plaît, on le met dans nos playlists de nouveautés. On a même tendance à soutenir un projet sur la longueur : si un premier album nous a séduits, on va suivre l’artiste sur ses sorties, faire durer le partenariat. Ça colle bien à notre ligne éditoriale : on écoute, on choisit, et quand on soutient, c’est sincère.
How does Qobuz manage to assert its difference internationally?
Qobuz is basically a French company, which first developed in the major European countries, then in the United States. We also opened in Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, and, exactly one year ago, in Japan.
Every year, I hear: “With giants like Spotify and Apple, next year Qobuz will be dead!” And yet, it’s been 18 years and not only are we still here, but we continue to open new offices. For us, international is the key. We choose our markets well : with only 26 countries, we cover 86% of the global paid subscription market! And we are considering expanding next year.
What is reassuring and flattering is that our primary market today is the United States, where everything happens in music. This proves that our approach – that is, sound quality, editorial, eclecticism, fair remuneration, – has found its audience, even against titans like Spotify or Deezer
How would you describe your collaboration with IDOL?
There are real similarities between Qobuz and IDOL: in the way of working, the qualitative approach, and the proximity to the artists. We immediately feel that at IDOL, they are also passionate people. I know Pascal Bittard, IDOL’s president, very well, who has always been a supporter of Qobuz. The business is always done with respect for the artists, with listening, and that, for me, is precious.
We have always had a great relationship with the IDOL teams: they are attentive to our profile, they offer adapted, intelligent projects, we can really exchange in complete transparency. And each time, the IDOL team is super reactive, curious, and really attentive.
And obviously, there are many projects from the IDOL catalog that find their audience with us. For example: King Hannah, SPRINTS, Thylacine, or more niche projects like Enji‘s, or in hip hop: Erick the Architect received the Qobuzissime in 2024!
We know that we don’t have the same striking power as the giants, but that allows us to remain attentive, human, and to work with partners as passionate as IDOL.