Following yesterday’s dramatic announcements by Apple Music and Amazon Music about offering CD-quality and hi-res music at no extra cost, there are expectations that MP3 will soon make its exit from music streaming sites.
Spotify, which has streamed only MP3 files so far, has also announced its intention to launch Spotify HiFi which will offer CD-quality lossless music later this year.
Yesterday, David Solomon, the Chief Hi-Res Music Evangelist of audiophile-quality streaming site Qobuz, wrote on Facebook that the moves by Apple Music and Amazon Music will further market higher quality music and MP3 is on the way out.
This is his Facebook post:
Here is my personal take on the wonderful news from Apple and Amazon. (Not an official Qobuz response)
This move will further market higher quality listening and MP3 is on the way out.
This is fantastic news for the audio industry, which I love and wish our partners great success with the additional people this will surely bring into the high-end fold.
Qobuz still has good advantages. We are and have been committed to bring quality first and this will remain.
Qobuz is one of two companies that partner with Roon. This elevates the experience more than any of the other GUIs.
Qobuz will continue with our full and Hi Res download store to help support artists.
We are and have been working on our radio, and connect features. It hasn’t been in my time frame wishes, but will happen.
This announcement will put a lot of people into the market for better streaming and while Amazon and Apple are likely to always have more subscribers, there are enough people who appreciate what we bring to the table for Qobuz to do fine.
Some will hop ship, which is expected, but many more will learn and will appreciate Qobuz for what it is. A rising tide lifts all boats.
I’m proud of the message and quality that Qobuz delivers. No matter what you decide to do in the future, it’s my wish that you enjoy the experience to the fullest. That’s really what it’s all about and no real surprise that Hi Res has caught on in the mainstream.
MP3 began as an idea to send music files via ISDN digital phone lines in the early 1980s, but found its natural home in the Internet in the 1990s since its smaller file size was easier to be sent via old copper Web networks which were slower and had less bandwidth.
However, MP3 also spawned a whole generation of music lovers who grew up listening to and being satisfied with lower-resolution music using small MP3 players such as the legendary Apple iPod and earphones.
