Launch of the world’s first dedicated audio-visual streaming service for jazz

12 February 2020 - Press release

A brand-new jazz streaming platform, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, is set to transform the way the genre is consumed when it launches in the UK on Wednesday 12^thFebruary. jazzed is the world’s first dedicated audio-visual streaming destination for jazz and will offer an integrated experience for fans to listen, watch and read about the music they love. The service features a vast array of hand-curated audio channels, exclusive video content, podcasts, documentaries, interviews and much more.

Entering the market at a time when jazz is enjoying a huge surge in popularity, jazzed will offer an unprecedented variety of content and be an endless source of discovery. The platform recognises the dialogue between jazz and popular culture for over a century from early pioneers to celebrated icons, hip hop samplists to the beat of Brazil. Individual channels focus on unique ecosystems from the sound of New Orleans and Polish jazz to artist-only havens in an array of moods, grooves and discovery. Users will be able to peer round the corners of normality into the avant-garde or be uplifted by Latin jazz and Salsa beats; indulge in some of the greatest funk ever recorded; zone out with quiet soundscapes or get on board with the next thing in THE place to hear brilliant new jazz, all the time.

The platform’s video content will offer music videos, artist interviews, live concerts and sessions whilst its editorial content will be drawn from a variety of sources led by an exclusive relationship with US jazz publication JAZZIZ, whose archive of in-depth features, interviews and album reviews is second to none.

Licensing terms have been agreed with all the major labels as well as with PPL representing the independents.

 

 Jazzed CEO Jonathan Arendt:

“There’s strong evidence that mainstream streaming services are not meeting the needs of specialist music fans. We know that jazz listeners are interested in a deeper experience than offered by mainstream platforms and believe that jazzed, with its rich artist meta-data, HD audio quality, premium video content and beautifully curated channels is the solution.”

jazzed is a subscription service and at launch will provide initially two tiers – jazzed, an ad-funded freemium tier with 10 audio channels and comprehensive video and editorial offering, and jazzed+, a premium tier priced at £5.99 a month which offers a deeper curated experience of 40+ audio channels with an extensive choice of exclusive video and editorial.

jazzed premium, a full on-demand tier providing a vast audio and video catalogue of jazz and its derivative genres, as well as more exclusive content, will be launched later this year in premium HD quality.

jazzed will be available on iOS, web player and via SONOS at launch.

jazzed was co-founded by former Jazz FM boss Jonathan Arendt (CEO), digital tech music pioneer Frank Taubert (COO) and former Bertelsmann and Sony Music executive Marcel Engh (CMO).