Deezer for Naim

I think it's time people stopped referring to Qobuz as a company with financial problems. They are a perfectly serious company with a broad offering of streaming and downloads, and quite a few regulars on this forum use and like them.  Whereas, at least in Naim's home country, Deezer are virtually invisible. And - until Apple enter the game - everyone in this fast moving marketplace is going to face significant financial uncertainty.

I've tried some of the streaming services (free trails)  & found it a worthwhile experiment for my own personal assessment to try each.  I found them to be all more or less the same & decided its more a choice of how you like the look & feel of the HMI (app) rather than content.  I confirmed to myself that I much prefer to discover new material via radio & reading music/record reviews,  also that I prefer FM & iRadio for casual listening.   Maybe I'm a bit old fashioned or maybe not a new trend fan follower in that that I appreciate owning "my" music for serious listening & with an SQ I am sure about.  

Whilst I fully appreciate the need for Naim to be part of www streaming to maximise their marketplace position,  I personally will not be too bothered.

Totally agree - Qobuz appear to have less challenges than troubled Tidal and have been going quite well for many years now.. albeit last year it might have been trying to grow a little too fast.

No issues with Deezer either - as I ran both for a while but opted to stay with Qobuz as I preferred their content more often than not.

I can say that lossless streaming has brought me a huge amount of enjoyment allowing me to listen to and appreciate music I would probably just not have otherwise heard .. and to me that is what it is all about.

Simon

I don't think its in anyone's interests to talk down Qobuz, but it's important to remain realistic. The company still has funding and subscriber growth issues.

According to an article earlier this month in Les Echos, the company needs to find another EUR 5m before it can leave bankruptcy protection. It has until June 15th. Qobuz has 25k subscribers. To put that in context, Tidal added 270k subscribers since the botched relaunch.

http://www.lesechos.fr/journal...sa-route-1109636.php

Indeed however Qobuz is hugely smaller only operating in a handful of countries - albeit its subscriber growth was quite impressive month on month when I looked recently.

The other thing that is different with Qobuz is that their streaming service supports their hidef download business - and that makes them a little unusual and interesting.

S

How many of you would buy $10,000 or £10,000 worth of Qobuz stock right now?

A highly speculative bet.

When valuing the business and it's management we also need to keep in mind that the physical distribution business is also in bankruptcy protection and the founders own record label has been sold. The rescue procedure can last up to 10 years in France but 18 months is more typical because it requires active creditor support. 

It's purely hypothetical, but if the business does emerge from the rescue procedure what changes? Until now the model has not been able to generate the revenue or investment. 

“Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest.
The soul, uneasy, and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.”

Meanwhile Qobuz provides its growing customers with a great lossless streaming service, online magazine and hidef download service. Enjoy it while you can.......

While I wouldn't buy their stock as a bet, the risk of subscribing on a monthly basis is essentially nil.

The worst that'll happen is that they'll go away and you'll be out part of a month's fees.  I call that a "no-brainer"

And even risky bets pay off sometimes!

Absolutely agree - I have spoken with several Qobuz people at the last 2 Bristol shows and without exception they were knowledgeable, friendly and forthcoming about their future plans (unlike reps of some other companies...). I'm a very satisfied subscriber - only niggle is that the charges don't reflect the recent depreciation of the Euro.

The only thing that would ever make me buy another cd would be the demise of the last lossless streaming service on the planet. It's good to know there are options should Qobuz founder.

Not buying their stock but have taken the plunge and bought a year's subscription outright. If everyone on their rolling montly subs did the same it might help guarantee their future. It must be worth it for those of us who value their presence. 

I had the same thought, and was really tempted to sign up for the full year, save a few pennies hopefully, and help them at the same time.  However, I found that, like many I expect, I still see £220 as a lot for a punt, even though I love the product, and Qobuz is a brand and service I really want to keep for good.  I will keep up my monthly subscription, and if they secure funding, will happily pay the annual fee.  

It seems any thread about Tidal or Deezer streaming leads us Qobuz lovers to defend their corner, and I think it is because, aside from brilliant sound quality and catalogue of music, they communicate with their customers as fellow music lovers, rather than just delivering a bunch of hype and brainless marketing and PR blurb.   

I'm awaiting Qobuz Hi-Fi Sublime subscription which maybe handy to have to download 24bit with discount, unless Qobuz start streaming in 24bit before that

I concur completely. Next experiment is to try a W4S Connect feeding the NDX with a better AC cord etc. However, would like to try Qobuz if it makes it to the US. Sure sounds like the total experience is very broad compared to Deezer but the one or two year subscriptions to Deezer are so affordable its a no brainer.

M