There’s a new 3-year, fixed-price Qobuz deal, looks possibly good value, but as always has to be paid up front.
ATB, J
Running out of cash?
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It’s the same price as the existing Studio yearly subscription x 3, suggests a price rise on the way ?
It should beat inflation-based (or higher) rises that are likely for the platform to continue to operate.
But it locks the user into the platform and that particular type of a/c for 3 years.
It also auto-renews, which will catch some careless users out (and ones that cannot still function in 3 years time).
And everyone if they go bust.
“This special offer provides access to a Studio Solo subscription for a continuous 3-year period at a one-time upfront payment of £389.97. It does not apply to Duo, Family, or Sublime plans. The offer is valid until September 30, 2025, and cannot be claimed afterward. Current Studio Solo subscribers may upgrade to this 3-year plan, with any remaining subscription time credited through prorated billing. During the 3-year term, plan changes are not possible. After the initial term, the subscription will automatically be renewed for another 3 years at the then-current standard rate. We’ll notify you by email 2 months prior to renewal. This offer does not include a free trial; billing begins immediately.”
I don’t know what “prorated billing” is?
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Always!
ATB, J
Years ago 
.
ATB, J
It means pro rata. So if you are half way through your existing plan, the unused half would be netted off the cost of the new, three year plan.
Why anyone would pay for three years upfront, when there is no saving from so doing, is beyond me.
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Pros and cons? Yes why give them 3 years? But could beat annual increases?
It worked well iirc when I did a fixed rate insurance deal with SAGA a few years ago.
It worked extremely well when I got a fixed mortgage at 1.89% a few years ago.
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The problem is that its a quite tricky market and there is a real risk that Qobuz goes bust or gets taken over by another company.
For mortgages and insurance you’ve monthly payments but for Qobuz you need to pay upfront.
One year would be an acceptable risk, but 3 years is just gambling.
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Unconnected but connected.
I had been using a well known American engineering software for several years. We paid a large maintenance charge. One day our American referent phoned with a good offer for two years maintenance at a discount. We accepted and paid.
A month later they wrote to us and told us that the company had been bought by Autodesk, a giant in the technical software world. They did not want to accept our maintenance contract as it had been made with the previous company. A long battle ensued to sort the problem.
If a company is making this sort of offer, something is wrong with that company. It might be just cash flow, or it might be that they are in bigger trouble.
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Interesting story - very shabby acts by the company that was being bought and the new parent company.
The phrase ‘pump and dump’ springs to mind.
(I did mention “if they go bust” in my post above.)
One thing making me want to do it is to support Qobuz, which has given me a good service for years.
[People who paid for a lifetime sub to Roon years ago are probably very happy they did - but of course that’s a different offer/calculus to this one.]
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Life’s no all about saving.
People get all excited when qobuz offer a 12 months subscription that will probably save them about 4 pence a day.
I pay monthly because I don’t mind paying 4 pence a day extra. I like qobuz, I’d happily pay £3 a month more if the price went up. (That’s another 10 pence a day).
I prefer qobuz over tidal. If Tidal was half the price of qobuz, I wouldn’t switch to Tidal.
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We have a Sublime subscription, but I wouldn’t give Qobuz £540 for three years upfront, just like I wouldn’t give Waitrose £15,000 for three years’ groceries.
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I wouldn’t either, but you where implying people wouldn’t pay 3 years up front if there was no saving in doing so.
If my favourite pie shop was in danger of closing because it needed cash to buy a new oven. I’d pay for upfront for 3 years of pies if it helped ensure it remained open. 
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Yes, but saying overtly we need a cash injection to get a new oven is entirely different to a deal offering three years of streaming for the same price as normal. A business like Qobuz is not like your friendly neighbourhood pie shop. If Qobuz is going down the pan why would anyone pay upfront. To me it’s just a crap offer.
It appears to me that many companies using a monthly subscription model have started offering a one off annual payment option.
This could be because the web makes it very easy to change providers on a regular basis & income therefore can reduce unexpectedly, causing sudden financial concerns amongst other issues.
The upfront payments offer greater financial stability, hence more 12/24/36 month deals, often at discounted prices.
I have subscribed to Adobe Photoshop since they went subscription only in 2013. I have just switched to a single annual payment equal to 12 monthly payments at the current rate. Had I not accepted Adobe’s invitation to do this my monthly subscription would have gone up a whopping 50%!
I doubt Adobe are going broke & suspect that they are reaching subscription saturation due to a worldwide cost of living crisis & fewer new subscribers as most people wanting their product already have it. Income therefore remains pretty static & the only way to increase it to keep shareholders happy is to apply large increases to the monthly charge. This may actually drive existing customers away & to try & reduce this risk the annual payment option at existing prices has been introduced.
I have accepted this as it is obviously far better than paying 50% more for the coming year. I would be surprised if the payment stays the same at next year’s renewal.
I have applied the same reasoning when deciding to renew my Qobuz subscription on the 3 year basis. I suspect a price increase is on the way. If it’s not then I won’t achieve any long term gain but won’t actually have lost anything either. Streaming is not the be all & end all for me so tying myself in for 3 years does not bother me. If I end up making a saving it will be a nice benefit.
I would hope Qobuz are not going under but in the current corporate world, & the business & moral ethics that so many companies now regard as acceptable, if they are in trouble & the 3 year deal is a desperate cash grab, it is a risk I am prepared to take & am fortunate enough to be able to shrug off the loss of my full 3 year subscription if it all goes wrong tomorrow.
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Here in Canada $130 per year vs $295 for 3 years.
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That’s a better deal.
If you read their statement from 20 March 2025 titled “Qobuz Unveils Its Average Payout Per Stream Confirmed By A Leading Firm”, your comment about going down the pan seems like complete rubbish.
That said, they could have made the 3yr option more attractive - I want to support them as they offer a good service, but for me the 10/12 option is more attractive although it doesn’t guarantee access to ‘All current and future features’ in the same way.
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