The original hi-res music service, Qobuz, is offering up to 80% off on more than 10,000 music albums in its August Download Fest – and you don’t need to be a subscriber to cash in.
At the time of writing (August 15), Qobuz's Download Fest will be live for just two more weeks, so if you've just bought one of the best hi-res audio players (or even this gloriously affordable Hidizs setup) and want some lovely hi-res albums to put on it, now's your chance.
Think it's just classical albums or 80s trance? Not at all, the offer includes releases from emerging and established artists across every genre, including live albums. Nas’ Illmatic, Chopin, live albums from the likes of Liam Gallagher – they're all here and all in stunning hi-res audio.
Wanna get to steppin'? Good. Click here for the full list of available albums in the Qobuz Download Fest. It's categorised by label and you'll see the percentage discount easily at the top of the category, as well as the resolution and release date of the music you're buying when you click through – with Qobuz, it's all very open.
Opinion: Qobuz doesn't get the recognition it deserves – and I want to change that
Why do I love, respect and use Qobuz? Many reasons, but chiefly that it's the only streaming service to offer hi-res and lossless albums for those who prefer to own their music (and thus have access to it offline, at any time) and who want to support the artists they love by actually purchasing some albums.
And again, these deals are open to everyone regardless of whether they are a Qobuz subscriber or not and the Download Fest includes music from emerging artists, new releases and hit albums across numerous decades and genres. I'll be using it to fill notable gaps in my collection.
You don't need to subscribe, but if you do, you get deals like these all year round alongside Qobuz's splendid streaming platform. Thinking of taking the plunge? Again, I applaud you (you'll find links at the end of this missive). Although, do note that you won't find any AI DJs or Wrapped-style festival lineup posters for social media kudos with Qobuz. But if you know what you like, you want it in hi-res and you don't want to shout about it, you just met your ideal musical match.
For balance, it's worth noting that since June 2021 Apple Music has included Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos as well as fun extras such as Apple Music Sing and even a free-to-subscribers Apple Music Classical app, all of which is made even better if you own an Apple source device and a set of the best AirPods to listen with. There's none of that with Qobuz. The French service is toying with THX, but at the time of writing there isn't an awful lot of it.
Then there's Spotify, which has been promising its own high-fidelity audio service, Spotify HiFi, for years now – and to be honest we think it's never coming – but Spotify AI DJ is kind of fun. And again, you won't find that with Qobuz. What will you find? Right now, more than 10,000 albums at up to 80% off. And that is just another reason why it's one of the best music streaming services going.
