This music streaming app nobody talks about actually beats the giants

Just under a year ago, I ended my Spotify Premium subscription after 10 years of continuous use.

I was sick of the AI slop, the overpriced subscription, the mediocre audio quality, and the overemphasis on podcasts and audiobooks. I replaced it with Tidal, which fixed the problems I had with Spotify.

However, two weeks ago, I explored the issue of AI-generated music on Spotify and how to avoid it. During my research, I came across a blog post from Qobuz, and it made me realize there was an alternative music streaming app I had ignored for years.

I’ve used Qobuz for a week now, and I can’t believe I didn’t try it sooner.

Qobuz takes a human-first approach to music

The firmest stance against AI I’ve seen from a music-streaming app

I had come across Qobuz a few times in the past, but it had never seemed like a viable alternative.

But a January blog post from Qobuz, titled “Why We’re Taking a Human‑First Stand on AI‑Generated Music,” caught my eye. It discusses the company’s AI charter and why it’s taking a firm stance on AI.

I recommend reading it in full, but here are three key points from the charter:

• Editorial curation is 100% human.
• Prioritize detection and exclusion of AI-generated music.
• Prohibit AI crawlers from scraping Qobuz’s catalog.

Qobuz states that it does still use AI for “low-value tasks and improve service efficiency,” and uses it for translation tools and its own features to improve music recommendations.

So it’s not perfect. But the firm stance against AI-generated music is far more than what most other platforms are doing. So Qobuz gets a round of applause here, but good intentions are worthless if the app itself doesn’t hold up.

Qobuz is a music-first app with a unique approach

It’s a substantial upgrade from Spotify

Qobuz instantly won me over when I went to transfer my music. It partners with Soundiiz to let you transfer all your music from your previous platform for free.

I actually used Soundiiz when moving from Spotify to Tidal, but Qobuz covers the cost, so I could transfer my entire library in minutes with no fuss.

When I switched from Spotify to Tidal, there were six key reasons why I wouldn’t switch back. So the first thing I did was check these off to see if Qobuz could match Tidal:

I’m paying less for my music.

Qobuz’s annual subscription ($10.83 a month) is technically cheaper than Tidal’s monthly subscription ($10.99 a month), but its monthly subscription ($12.99 a month) is actually the same as Spotify’s.

Tidal’s music quality is better and fits however you listen.

Qobuz offers the same music quality levels as Tidal (24-bit, 192 kHz, 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, and 320kbps)

No AI features that bloat the app and raise prices.

Yes. See above for more information.

Tidal keeps relevant music recommendations front and center.

This section requires a bit more discussion. Unlike Spotify and Tidal, Qobuz doesn’t show my most recently listened to tracks front and center.

Instead, its homepage is heavily geared towards discovery, with an editor-selected list of new music front and center.

I’m not sure if I like it or not (I’ll have to explore the recommendations in more depth), but I am relieved I can sort my library by what I’ve recently listened to.

A simple search function gets me where I need to go.

Qobuz’s search tool is even more stripped down than Tidal’s. It shows recent searches, and that’s it. And to think I thought Tidal was a breath of fresh air from Spotify’s overwhelming recommendations.

Tidal’s music library is just as impressive as Spotify’s.

Qobuz imported every single track I had saved in Tidal with no fuss. It’s certainly missing some songs Spotify has access to, but it’s not a big enough loss for me to notice.

So Qobuz is definitely better than Spotify. But is it better than Tidal? Sort of.

Qobuz’s gimmick is educational

Qobuz wants to keep me up to date on music

Qobuz isn’t just a streaming service. It hosts an online magazine that’s filled with music recommendations, interviews, Hi-Fi recommendations, and various other music-related articles.

This magazine is built into the app, tucked between the Discover and Library tabs.

I like my music apps to be only about playing music, so I’m a little miffed by this inclusion. However, it’s a good magazine, and I’ve caught myself absorbed in more than one article over the past week.

Qobuz’s recommendations are less about the algorithms (although there are still plenty of those driving other recommendations) than they are about new releases.

Again, not a bad feature, but I wish I could organize my home page to suit how I like to discover new music.

Qobuz is also missing a lyrics feature. Installing Musixmatch is a convenient workaround, but it’s odd that the app doesn’t offer a feature essential to even the most rudimentary of music apps.

Playlist management is clunky, and I’ve noticed that it doesn’t play well with my Google Home speakers (I had a similar problem with Tidal).

I’ll be switching to Qobuz going forward

While it’s certainly not perfect, Qobuz offers a fantastic app for streaming music while helping us avoid the plague of AI slop.

I didn’t experience the same quality-of-life improvement as when I switched from Spotify to Tidal, but Qobuz is slightly better in enough ways that mean I’m happy for the switch.

And if you’re still using Spotify, there are plenty of good reasons to switch.