It was officially launched on 19 May 2002 with a concert in the main broadcasting hall of Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) in Vienna.
In addition to biographies of composers, librettists, conductors, instrumentalists, singers, dancers, choreographers, theatre directors, instrument makers, music publishers, musicologists and music critics, it also contains numerous articles on ensembles, bands, associations, instruments, musical forms, customs, dances, theatres, monasteries, cities, record labels and publishing houses.
[3] The encyclopedia was edited by the Austrian musicologist Rudolf Flotzinger with four permanent members of the Commission for Music Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with numerous scholars from Austria and abroad.
[4] An online version offered at the same time started with the complete article stock of the print edition, but is continuously corrected and expanded.
[5] The complete work was published by the editions of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2002–05, ISBN 3-7001-3041-4.