Introducing the BBC Music App

My desk on the 8thfloor of New Broadcasting House, is near a sound proof, entry controlled door into the studios of Radio 1, 1Xtra and the Asian Network. It leads directly into a small, oval shaped room full of lights and cameras – squashed between two radio studios. The space regularly plays host to Radio 1’s Live Lounge, Asian Network sessions, or freestyles for 1Xtra.

People wander in and out of the door and I catch snippets of amazing sounds coming from this hideaway in the middle of our office. Jack Garratt riffing, a Sitar pinging, drums tuning up. My friends tell me I don’t know I am born to be able to work in such a place – but I’m secretly frustrated. It’s not like I can simply push my way in and watch these great performances… they are just out of reach – etiquette doesn’t allow it. Importantly though, I only like some of it anyway. If I do get in there - I might find myself awkwardly nodding along to stuff I don’t like.

Now if I were to push my way into all the hundreds of live sessions recorded by BBC TV and Radio each year – it would be a full time job. From gigs at the Radio Theatre and BBC Maida Vale studios, to our amazing Orchestras, festivals (inc. Glastonbury, Proms, Radio 1’s Big Weekend) to club nights. We cover such a huge range of musical content it is breath taking. 

The new BBC Music App will bring all of this together around you – the best access, to some of the best musical content in the world. This really is the BBC living up to the universal licence fee - something for all of us, for each of us. It is not just live sessions though, we create great mixes and playlists of music across the BBC as part of our programmes and the fact is, we nave never brought them together around an individual user and music we know they like.

We know we have fans of 6Music, Radio 3, Later with Jools – combined. Our brands help make sense of our content, but now with the launch of the BBC Music app we will pull it together around you and your individual tastes for the first time.  It’s exciting – over time, it will offer up far greater choice and control over the amount of available BBC content. It is just the beginning of a closer relationship with you and the BBC – over the next year we hope to notify you of music we know you love, bring together our music journalism, invite you to some of our events, recommend the best music through creative playlist ideas and our trusted personalities. Plus add tracks you hear in iPlayer Radio or iPlayer programmes on your desktop, to your own list. All these interactions will result in you getting access to the music you actually want to see. 

The music world is changing fast with brilliant online music services developing in every direction. Our initial response to this rapid change was to build BBC Playlister – a service that let you add tracks to your own list from our broadcast TV and Radio shows, see recommendations from presenters and allow you to send tracks you loved from the BBC to your preferred services like Deezer, Spotify and YouTube. All these functions remain whilst the name ‘Playlister’ gives way simply to ‘BBC Music’.   

BBC Music app is available to download in stores from the 24th Feb for free. Sign in and experience the range of music that the BBC delivers all year round, tailored around each and every one of us. After all there is little more personal than music.

Right - I am going to see if I can gain entry into Later with Jools and dance uncomfortably at the back in a black T-shirt. BBC Audience Services is great for this if you want to join me, but if you can’t get a ticket or you just want a front row seat to come to you, download the app. 

• The BBC Music App is available for Android from Google Play; the iOS version is available via iTunes.