By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
Cover art by Zonagirante Studio
Every so often, the world of music streaming is shaken up. Not by a technical change, nor by a new feature no one asked for, but by the age-old question that remains unanswered: who really benefits from all this?
This time, the battle has a new protagonist. While Daniel Ek, Spotify's CEO, is busy investing millions in artificial intelligence and lecturing artists on how they should "work more often," a competitor with an elegant accent and a duelist's attitude has arrived from France: Qobuz, ready to stand up to the green giant.
And he's doing it with something that's scarce in this business: arrogance and arguments.
Qobuz: the elegant Frenchman who stopped being silent
Founded in 2007, Qobuz is a French streaming platform that has gained fame for its obsession with quality. Their promise is simple: high-resolution (Hi-Res) music, uncompressed, without invasive algorithms, and with respect for the album as a complete work. In other words, a rarity in a world where the important thing seems to be skipping from song to song like changing your Instagram story.
For years, Qobuz lived quietly, almost a secret among audiophiles and purists. But now it's decided to make its voice heard, launching an advertising campaign as aggressive as it is unusual, openly mocking Spotify's model. Not with memes, but with class: quality comparisons, more transparent payment figures, and an implicit invitation to listen "for real.".
Meanwhile, Spotify continues to expand its automated playlists, tweak algorithms, and announce improvements that—they say—will “benefit artists.” In practice, many musicians still feel that the benefits always go in the same direction: upwards.
Virtues and sins of the new contender
There's no doubt about it: Qobuz sounds better. The difference between a compressed Spotify file and a Hi-Res album is audible even to untrained ears. Plus, it offers editorial notes, full credits, and album reviews, which brings some humanity back to the act of listening.
In terms of payment, Qobuz distributes a somewhat more dignified percentage per play, and although it doesn't reach levels of complete fairness, it at least recognizes that musical work has a value beyond the algorithm.
But it's not all roses and golden vinyl. Its catalog remains more limited, its interface still feels less fluid, and its presence in Latin America is, for now, minimal. There's no free plan or massive expansion strategy. Qobuz isn't aiming to be the music supermarket: it wants to be the boutique vinyl store, where every customer comes in knowing exactly what they're looking for.
The problem is that most of the public has already become accustomed to the supermarket.
How to log into Qobuz without losing your patience
If you're an artist and want your music on Qobuz, there's one small detail: You can't upload it directly. You have to do it through a digital distributor—DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore, Symphonic, among others—and not all of them include Qobuz by default.
Some distributors take longer to process submissions, and others don't even notify you if the content has been approved. That's why it's a good idea to manually check that your distributor selects the Qobuz option before releasing your album. Otherwise, you might discover too late that your music never made it to the "audiophile side of the force.".
Who is really fighting in this war?
Let's not kid ourselves: CEOs don't fight for art or ideals.
This battle is fought between those who create music, those who listen to it, and those who decide where to play it. Independent musicians, already struggling to survive in an unequal ecosystem, watch every move with a mixture of hope and cynicism. But the public also bears responsibility.
A platform that offers perfect sound is useless if most people listen through their cell phone speaker or with three-dollar headphones.
Boycotting Spotify in the name of ethics is also pointless if albums are then pirated via Telegram.
The battle for fair music isn't won in headlines: it's won with daily decisions, with the way we choose to consume, pay, and support.
The future of streaming (or the new map of chaos)
The market is fragmenting: each platform promises something different. Spotify offers reach and familiarity. Apple Music, a bit more quality and order. Tidal, the legacy of a failed dream of equality. And now Qobuz, the club reserved for those who still believe that listening to an album can be an act of respect.
Perhaps the future is not one of monopolies, but of micro-communities that group themselves according to values: those who seek impeccable sound, those who prioritize independence, those who only want to "discover what the algorithm says".
In that context, Qobuz doesn't threaten Spotify in volume, but it does remind them of something that seemed forgotten: that music is not background noise, but an experience that deserves attention.
Closing – Where does one want to hear about their life?
No, this article is not sponsored by Qobuz or anyone else.
We are simply observing a change of the board in an industry where most musicians earn little and most listeners believe that music “is free”.
Spotify will continue to be the full stadium: noisy, comfortable, massive, impersonal.
Qobuz, on the other hand, is that small club with good acoustics where the audience sits and listens.
And in the end, that's the real question:
Where does each person want to hear about their life?
