The BBC is launching an annual awards event being billed as a Sports Personality of the Year for popular music, which bosses denied would become a rival to ITV's Brit awards.

The inaugural BBC Music awards will be broadcast on BBC1 in December, presented by Fearne Cotton and Chris Evans, with backing and cross-promotion from other corporation outlets including Radio 1, Radio 2 and BBC Online.

Promising a "celebration of the best in popular music from the last 12 months", the BBC said the event would feature performances from some of the biggest acts in music along with giving new talent the chance to play live on BBC1.

"The BBC Music awards will tell the story of the last year in music as reflected on the BBC, just like Sports Personality of the Year does for sport," said Bob Shennan, controller of BBC Music, Radio 2, 6 Music and Asian Network.

"The performances will showcase the best performances from new and emerging talent, seasoned professionals and best-selling songs as well as the biggest live events in music."

Monday's announcement immediately drew comparisons with the long-running Brits, organised by the UK recorded music industry trade body, the BPI, and broadcast on ITV since 1993.

The BBC Music awards are to be held at Earls Court in London, the Brits venue for a decade until the event switched to the 02 Arena in 2011, and Evans is a former host of the ITV programme.

The Brits – launched as the BPI awards in 1977 and rebranded in 1989 – attract frequent criticism for being too bland and mainstream, despite regular unscripted incidents over the years including Jarvis Cocker's stage invasion during a Michael Jackson performance in 1996. But they remain the British music industry's principal annual televised showcase.

However, Shennan said the BBC Music awards was a "totally different concept" from the Brits and was not intended as direct competition for the ITV programme.

"The event will not just be focused on the younger end of the market, but will be for music lovers of all ages who enjoy listening to music from across the BBC, and the performances will reflect that," he added. "The BBC Music awards will surprise audiences with unexpected performances and artist collaborations, hopefully with the BBC Concert Orchestra."

Shennan added that Tony Wadsworth, the long-serving BPI chairman, who is due to step down by the end of 2014, was in the audience for Monday's announcement about the new awards event. He said he had spoken to all the major record labels in the past year and expected the industry to be on board with the BBC event, which would complement the Brit awards.

Shennan said one aspect of the awards ceremony would be a focus on new and emerging talent, including acts coming through the BBC Introducing scheme, possibly via collaborations with established artists on live performances.

Awards categories will include British and international artist of year, both chosen by the presenters and producers of the BBC's mainstream music programming. Viewers and listeners will have their say in deciding the winner of the song of the year via interactive voting.