[2] Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used in television and online services.

BBC Music had its official launch at 20:00 on 7 October 2014, with a simulcast of a specially-commissioned cover of the Beach Boys' 1966 song "God Only Knows".

[3] Produced by Ethan Johns, it featured a supergroup of singers such as Chris Martin (of Coldplay), Stevie Wonder, Kylie Minogue, Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters), Elton John, Pharrell Williams, One Direction, and Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

This included looking after My Tracks, formerly BBC Playlister, an interactive, personalisable music service that allowed users to create playlists of music that had been played across the BBC using existing online platforms Deezer, YouTube and Spotify.

[6] It also featured playlists created by BBC radio DJs and presenters such as Jo Whiley, Greg James, Steve Lamacq, Zane Lowe, and Fearne Cotton.