Qwest TV
Qwest TV is a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service featuring jazz and related eclectic music.
Qwest TV was created in 2017 by Quincy Jones and Reza Ackbaraly.
History
Key dates
Reza Ackbaraly (member of the Charles Cros Academy, musical programmer of the Jazz Vienne Festival in France, La Petite Halle de la Villette concert hall in Paris and (previously) Mezzo TV) met Quincy Jones in 2014. It was during this meeting that plans for Qwest TV were laid.
Qwest TV was officially introduced at the 51st Montreux Jazz Festival in July 2017.[1]
In September 2017, a pre-subscription campaign was launched at a tribute concert for Jones at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.[2]
The pre-subscription campaign was conducted via the crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter.[3][4]
In December 2017, a beta version of Qwest TV was officially launched.[5]
Origins of the name "Qwest TV"
In the 1980s, Quincy Jones created his own record label, Qwest Records, before co-founding Qwest Broadcasting, a media broadcasting company in the United States.
Video catalog
The Qwest TV catalog features documentaries, concerts, archives and exclusive content as they relate to "jazz and beyond", such as:
- Aretha Franklin's 1977 concert in Paris
- The 10-episode series: The Sound of New York[6]
Each video is accompanied by liner notes written by a journalist specializing in jazz[7]
Offer
It is available on the Internet via smartphones, tablets and compatible television sets.
Subscriptions to Qwest TV are available on a monthly or annual basis, in either “Premium” (1080p/HD/4K) or “Standard” (720p) streaming quality. All video content is offered without advertising.
References
- McCarthy, James. "Introducing: Quincy Jones' Qwest TV". Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- "Quincy Jones launches dedicated Jazz TV Channel". Jazz FM. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- "Qwest TV: Quincy Jones' new video-streaming service for jazz". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- Jazz, All About. "Jazz news: Qwest TV by Quincy Jones: Only 1 day left to fund "The Netflix of Jazz" (Kevin Le Gendre - BBC Radio 3) on Kickstarter". All About Jazz News. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- "Netflix for Jazz? Quincy Jones's Qwest TV Takes Concerts and Films Digital". The New York Times. 2017-12-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- Connellan, Shannon. "Quincy Jones is about to launch the 'Netflix of jazz'". Mashable. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- "Quincy Jones Preps Jazz Video-On-Demand Platform Qwest TV". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-05-22.