Qobuz, one of the leading high-quality music streaming and download platforms, is continuing its international expansion with its launch today in Canada. With Qobuz hitting the market, all Canadian music lovers who are looking for a unique music experience will now have access to a high-quality music service that’s a cut above the mainstream competition.
A continuation of Qobuz’ international expansion strategy
As of today’s launch in Canada, Qobuz marks its expansion into its 26th country. After Northern Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in 2021, and Latin America in 2022, Qobuz’ arrival today in Canada responds to a growing need among Canadian music aficionados and audiophiles for high-quality music streaming and download offerings.
Qobuz, a unique approach to online music
Since its founding, Qobuz has developed a unique approach to online music. At the heart of the offer is top-notch sound quality. With its lossless catalog and lossless, downloadable files— i.e. CD quality and high resolution (Hi-Res)— Qobuz provides rich, incomparable listening quality that brings users as close as possible to the intention and emotion of the artists. As Canada’s music market has expanded over the years (more than 8 percent growth in 2022, making it the 8th biggest music market worldwide according to the Global Music Report 2022), Qobuz’ launch responds to the growing need among Canadian music lovers and audiophiles for high quality music streaming offers.
A service made for discovery and musical diversity
Qobuz provides a user experience designed for discovery and musical diversity. Through its Magazine, the platform offers artist interviews, in-depth articles and a section dedicated to Hi-Fi gear. Qobuz is recognized for the quality of its recommendations and album features. Each week, the editorial team selects an eclectic array of artists and albums, known or emerging, for listeners to (re)discover, and playlists are updated with carefully hand-picked tracks. All musical genres—rock, jazz, classical, pop, R&B, electronic, world, metal, etc.—are honored, and the catalog is curated with a human touch.
Qobuz is also a community based on a common passion. Qobuz Club offers audiophiles and music lovers from all over the world a unique place where they can share their musical discoveries and recommendations as well as advice on Hi-Fi equipment.
“Qobuz is the only platform in the world to offer unparalleled sound quality (high resolution music streaming and downloads), coupled with an exclusive cultural magazine with thousands of articles dedicated to music. Qobuz is aimed at a demanding and discerning audience looking for alternatives to the mainstream.” says Georges Fornay, Deputy CEO of Qobuz.
“The arrival of Qobuz in Canada has been eagerly awaited by audiophiles and dedicated music fans. It is very exciting for us to be able to offer our unique high quality service across the entirety of North America.” – Dan Mackta, Managing Director, Qobuz North America & Northern Europe
”Canada will have the great gift of quality listening when Qobuz opens!” declares Neil Young, veteran Canadian singer-songwriter and one of the audio world’s most influential individuals.
More information on Qobuz’ Canadian plans and prices are below.
Qobuz Canada – Offerings and Price Plans
All offers are available in the following configurations:
- SOLO for an individual subscription
- DUO for a subscription of two people
- FAMILY for up to 6 accounts for members of the same family on one subscription
QOBUZ STUDIO
The STUDIO offer gives users unlimited access to the entire Qobuz catalog in studio quality and to all editorial content.
- STUDIO SOLO: $12.99 per month for an individual subscription. Or $10.83 per month, i.e. $129.99 in one yearly installment, for the annual subscription.
- STUDIO DUO: $17.99 CAD per month, for two accounts on the same subscription. Or $14.99 per month, i.e. $17.88 in one yearly installment, for the annual subscription.
- STUDIO FAMILY: $21.90 per month, up to 6 accounts for all family members with one subscription. Or $17.99 per month, i.e. $215.88 in one yearly installment, for the annual subscription.
QOBUZ SUBLIME
The Sublime offer gives access to the entire Qobuz catalog of albums in studio quality, all available for streaming and download, with exclusive discounts on Hi-Res purchases of up to 60%.
- SUBLIME SOLO: $179.99 for an annual subscription in one yearly installment, i.e. $15 per month.
- SUBLIME DUO: $269.89 for an annual subscription in one yearly installment, i.e. $22.49 per month.
- SUBLIME FAMILY: $349.99 for an annual subscription (up to 6 accounts for family members), in one yearly installment, i.e. $29.17 per month.
Follow @qobuz on Instagram and Facebook. #QobuzCanada
What Are the Best Streaming Services for Those Who Live in Canada (in no specific order)
Music streaming in Canada has matured into a competitive landscape, with nearly every major global service available alongside a few Canada-specific offerings. While the technical features of each platform—bitrate, file format, catalog size—are important, Canadians also have to consider regional licensing, language preferences, internet infrastructure, and pricing tiers when choosing a service.
For Canadian audiophiles and everyday listeners alike, the best streaming service depends on your priorities. Do you want high-resolution audio? Seamless mobile integration? A wide selection of French-language content? Here’s a breakdown of the most relevant services for Canadian users, along with why they may (or may not) be the right fit.
Spotify
Spotify remains the most popular streaming platform in Canada by a wide margin. It offers a massive catalog, strong mobile integration, and the most advanced playlist and recommendation engine in the business. The user experience is consistent, with fast search, seamless syncing between devices, and good integration with car systems, smart speakers, and gaming consoles.
But Spotify still doesn’t offer lossless or hi-res audio. Despite announcing “Spotify HiFi” back in 2021, the company has yet to roll it out, and it remains in limbo. For casual listening, the 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis stream is decent, but for critical or high-end systems, it won’t satisfy those looking for audiophile-grade playback.
Apple Music
Apple Music is available across Canada and includes full lossless and hi-res options (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) at no additional cost to subscribers. It supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio and has made inroads with music fans who want a blend of high-quality sound and curated content.
In typical Apple fashion, the experience is best inside their ecosystem. On iPhones, iPads, and Macs, Apple Music is tightly integrated and generally stable. On non-Apple platforms, the experience is less polished. Also, high-res streaming requires an external DAC if you’re trying to listen beyond 24-bit/48 kHz, and many users aren’t aware of that limitation.
For users with Apple devices and a preference for lossless audio, Apple Music is one of the most complete options in Canada today.
Qobuz
Qobuz arrived in Canada in 2023 after years of demand from audiophiles north of the border. The French-based service specializes in FLAC-based streaming at both CD quality and high-resolution levels (up to 24-bit/192 kHz), with no proprietary codecs or lossy compression.
Qobuz is ideal for listeners who want open formats, own their music (via downloads), or prefer browsing liner notes and album credits. Its catalog is strong in classical, jazz, and hi-res versions of classic albums. While its interface is slightly less polished than Apple Music or Spotify, it integrates well with platforms like Roon, Audirvana, and BluOS.
For Canadian audiophiles, Qobuz is one of the most complete and open hi-res streaming options available.
TIDAL
TIDAL has been available in Canada for several years and built much of its early reputation on offering “TIDAL Masters,” encoded using MQA. The platform has since shifted toward open FLAC for its high-res tier, which is good news for users who didn’t want to invest in MQA-compatible hardware.
TIDAL offers robust app support, curated playlists, and exclusive content from hip-hop and R&B artists. Sound quality on the HiFi Plus tier (now offering FLAC-based hi-res) is excellent, and it’s still a favorite for those who want a slick interface paired with higher-resolution playback.
That said, TIDAL’s long-term strategy is in flux as ownership and technical direction continue to evolve. But for now, Canadian users still get the full feature set.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon’s high-resolution tier is available in Canada and includes HD (16-bit/44.1 kHz) and Ultra HD (up to 24-bit/192 kHz)
