By Emmanuel Legrand
Sony Music has entered the business high resolution music streaming with the launch in Japan of mora qualitas, a new service powered by Napster. The project is a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and Seattle-based Napster parent Rhapsody International. The service offers Japanese consumers access to stream FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) files at a standard of 24-bit/96kHz (Hi-Resolution) or 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD quality) through a variety of hardware devices.
In addition to Sony Music, multiple labels and distributors will provide audiophiles hi-res music, including Victor Entertainment, Universal Music Japan and Warner Music Japan. Subscription to mora qualitas in Japan will cost 1,980 Yen a month (around $18.50).
“Sony is taking high resolution sound quality to new heights. We’re building on the success of mora, our original high res download service in Japan, and after six years we’re in tune with what our customers want from their streaming audio provider,” said Shigeki Tanaka, Senior Vice President of SMEJ. “We chose Napster as our trusted partner because they have the global music experience, sophisticated API and passion to help us launch Japan’s new premier service.”
> Qobuz, the French hi-res music service that launched in the US in February, announced that it was "completely eliminating" its MP3 streaming tier to concentrate exclusively on its hi-res offer. Qobuz plans now include a $14.99 offering (or $149.99/year) with unlimited access to its entire hi-res and CD loss-less catalogue and its Sublime+ plan, now priced at $249.99/year, which includes all the streaming offerings, plus a substantial discount on Hi-Res download purchases from the Qobuz store.
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