BBC Radio 6

Live and simple play-stop app for BBC Radio 6

Live and simple play-stop app for BBC Radio 6

BBC Radio 6 Music (also still known as BBC 6 Music or BBC 6) is one of the BBC's digital radio stations. It was known officially as BBC 6 Music from its launch on 11 March 2002 until April 2011. 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available only on digital media: DAB radio, the Internet, digital television, and in northern Europe through the Astra 2B satellite.

BBC 6 Music has been described as a "dedicated alternative music station". Many presenters have argued against the perception that the main focus is indie guitar music. The station itself describes its output as "the cutting edge music of today, the iconic and groundbreaking music of the past 40 years and unlimited access to the BBC's wonderful music archive".

Often referred to as the sister station of BBC Radio 2, it shares common features and DJs with both BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2. For instance, it operates a playlist of similar 'A/B/C' structure to both Radios 1 and 2 and regularly shares selective tracks on its 'A' playlist with both stations, although it is generally less reliant upon chart music than the more mainstream stations.

Evening and weekend programming, however, features a more diverse selection of tracks across genres both popular and on the fringes, with dedicated shows towards different forms of dance, jazz, soul, and Jamaican music, among others. The station also features performances from the BBC music archives, including the "Peel Sessions" put together by John Peel from the late 1960s to 2004.

In July 2010, the BBC Trust announced it had rejected a proposal by the BBC to close 6 Music to provide commercial rivals more room. The Trust commented that the station was "well-liked by its listeners, was highly distinctive and made an important contribution."

In 2016, 6 Music is the most listened-to BBC digital radio station with an average weekly audience of 2.2 million.