Quincy Jones and producer Reza Ackbaraly have announced Qwest TV, the world’s first SVOD platform dedicated to jazz and jazz-inspired music forms.
The new service is et to launch in fall 2017 with a selection of exclusive, original content including concerts, documentaries, interviews and archival footage, available on mobile devices and computers in HD or 4K for a monthly fee starting at $7.49. Pre-launch subscriptions to Qwest TV will be available starting September 6 via Kickstarter.
Qwest TV has already secured international rights to over 400 titles and plans to acquire an additional 600 titles within its first three years.
Reza Ackbaraly has selected a partner with the French digital startup ME.I.G. Group, through its solutions FlameFy & OKAST.
Commented Cedric Monnier, CEO of M.E.I. Group, “We’re thrilled to partner on a such exciting project with one of the most recognised artist in the music industry. With millions of jazz fans, there is definitely a strong demand for a premium streaming platform.
“Successful OTT services will be those able to collect and use smartly all kind of digital data to provide a personalized and awesome experience to a worldwide fan base. A customer-driven approach by the data is the key. Art meets Technology. ”
“The dream of Qwest TV is to let jazz and music lovers everywhere experience these incredibly rich and diverse musical traditions in a whole new way,” said Quincy Jones.
“At my core, I am a bebopper, and over the course of my seventy-year career in music I have witnessed firsthand the power of jazz – and all of its off-spring from the blues and R&B to pop, rock and hip-hop, to tear down walls and bring the world together. I believe that a hundred years from now, when people look back at the 20th century, they will view Bird, Miles and Dizzy, as our Mozart, Bach, Chopin and Tchaikovsky, and it is my hope that Qwest TV will serve to carry forth and build on the great legacy that is jazz for many generations to come.”
Commented Qwest TV co-founder Reza Ackbaraly, “By bringing Qwest TV to the general public and to universities everywhere, we seek to promote the values inherent to jazz: hard work, diversity, openness towards others, mutual respect and consideration, cooperation, and improvisation. Jazz touches people across all national, social and cultural boundaries. Qwest TV is of course about extending that reach, but it is also about bringing exciting music from around the world back to jazz and music lovers who have yet to discover it. Quincy and I plan to build a community where the love goes both ways.”
