Multi-Grammy
winning producer, composer and arranger Quincy Jones, in collaboration with
jazz impresario and television producer Reza Ackbaraly, has announced the
formation of Qwest TV, the world's first subscription video-on-demand (SVOD)
platform dedicated to jazz and jazz-inspired music forms.
Debuting fall 2017, subscribers to Qwest TV will choose when
and where to watch a personalized, hand-picked selection of exclusive, original
content including concerts, documentaries, interviews and archival footage on
their 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.
The first 1,500 "co-founding subscribers" will have the
privilege of helping develop Qwest TV before the roll out of the service in the
fall. Co-founding subscribers will
receive a full year of Qwest TV Premium, VIP access to the Qwest TV team for
sharing feedback and feature requests, and other special benefits available
only during the pre-launch campaign on Kickstarter, including collectible
t-shirts, posters, headphones, concert tickets, and gold, platinum and vinyl
records signed by Quincy Jones himself.
Commented Jones, "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.
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 Mozarts, Bachs, Chopins
and Tchaikovskys, 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."
Qwest TV aligns the booming subscription video-on-demand
(SVOD) market with the increasing popularity of jazz, highlighting its
influence on other types of music from hip-hop to electro, and bringing to
light its major role in the evolution of society. Supported by its international network of
artists, producers, and venues, Qwest TV has already secured international
rights to over 400 titles and plans to acquire an additional 600 titles within
its first three years.
From Billie Holiday to Esperanza Spalding, Sun Ra to Kamasi
Washington, Bill Evans to Flying Lotus, and Ravi Shankar's soaring sitar solos
to the traditions of Cuban Santería; Qwest TV will reflect a live music video
collection never before available on one platform. Qwest TV will serve not only as a treasure
trove of the jazz tradition but also as a trailblazing springboard for new
talent. Furthermore, Qwest TV will share
its extensive catalog with a worldwide network of universities and other
premier educational institutions.
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