French streaming platform Qobuz ditches MP3s

12 Nov 2019 - 10:19

High-resolution music platform Qobuz recently announced that it is dropping the digital audio coding MPEG-3 (MP3) format.

Qobuz US managing director Dan Mackta.

Since the emergence of digital music, MP3 has been the main format for streaming and downloading on music platforms. But now the French-born company has announced that it is completely removing the MP3 (lossy) codec from its catalogue, leaving only hi-res studio quality and CD (lossless) options.

“MP3 is really bad for music, artists and listeners,” Qobuz US managing director Dan Mackta said. “So Qobuz is saying ‘no’ to MP3 and now offers only real studio quality in one accessible plan.”

Qobuz is the first streaming service to ditch MP3. The company was launched in 2007 as the first music service to offer 24-bit hi-res files for streaming to subscribers. While Qobuz has no presence in Africa yet, this step could usher in a new wave of improved standards across music platforms globally.

Amazon music is also advancing the quality of music on its platform. The streaming service recently became the first to offer high definition (HD) lossless audio, alongside smaller companies like Tidal and Deezer.

Amazon also got veteran Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young to promote the service (video below). Young has complained about the audio quality on digital platforms for a long time, leading to the establishment of his now defunct high-quality Pono player.

“I’ve just been rooting for this to happen for about 30 years,” Young said. “What Amazon has done is going to make it so there’s a resurgence of quality. That’s where the sound is ⁠– the feeling of listening to it ... I want all my records to sound as good as they can in the digital realm.”

Young also supported Qobuz’s decision to drop the MP3 format. “Qobuz was one of the earliest hi-res streamers. Their new offer is another big step towards making hi-res streaming available at the same cost as MP3 streaming today,” he said.

Meanwhile, Spotify says it has no ambition to explore HD. “HD streaming hasn’t been a priority,” Spotify vice-president and head of investor relations Paul Vogel said.

And all eyes could be on YouTube Music and its plans for HD/hi-res streaming, especially after it was named as the most downloaded app, according to a report by analytics firm Sensor Tower last week.