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Now That's What I Call Music! (often shortened toNOW) is a series of various artistscompilation albums released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Sony Music and Universal Music (Universal/Sony Music) which began in 1983. Spinoff series began for other countries the following year, starting with South Africa, and many other countries worldwide soon followed, expanding into Asia in 1995, then the United States in 1998.[1]
The compilation series was conceived in the office ofVirgin Records in London and took its name from a 1930s British advertising poster forDanish bacon featuring a pig saying "Now, That's What I Call Music" as it listened to a chicken singing. The pig became the mascot for the series,[2] making its last regular appearance onNow That's What I Call Music 5,[3] before reappearing on the 100th edition in 2018,[4] and again since 2021.[5]
In 1983, the ideas of the Now That’s What I Call Music! series were conceived inRichard Branson'sVirgin Records offices, in Vernon Yard, nearPortobello Road inNotting Hill, London. The co-creators behind this idea were Stephen Navin, Head of Licensing and Business Affairs at Virgin Records from 1979 to 1990, and Jon Webster,[6] General Manager from 1983 to 1988. The concept found resonance with Simon Draper, the Managing Director of Virgin Records from 1979 to 1990.
Despite having so many songs high up in the charts, they were tired of third party labels using their hits and making money out of their success.[7]
They managed to convince EMI,[7] where Peter Jamieson, the Managing Director of EMI Records from 1983 to 1986, was captivated by Virgin’s innovative ideas on a compilation album. The partnership materialised during negotiations on Richard Branson’s boat in Little Venice.[8]
I took the poster back to the Virgin Records office as a gift to Simon Draper, who ran our label with me. We were riding high in the charts with everyone from Phil Collins to Culture Club, UB40 to The Human League. But we were tired of third party labels using our hits and making money out of our success. We knew we could do it better, so we decided to make our own compilation albums. We convinced EMI to partner with us on it, so we could get all the biggest hits of the day onto one record.Now, all we needed was a name. There on the wall was the Danish Bacon poster. Suddenly, we had our name: NOW That’s What I Call Music! We released it in time for Christmas, selling one million copies in the process.
— Richard Branson, "Now That's What I Call Music! Turns 40"
Amidst the conception of the series, the name found its roots in a distinctive source. An old 1930s Danish Bacon poster featuring a pig saying "Now, That's What I Call Music" as it listened to a chicken singing,[2] discovered by Branson in an antiques shop not far from their Vernon yard office, where a woman he liked named Joan Templeman was working.
Branson managed to amass an impressive collection of old hand painted tin signs that were covering his houseboat, but instead of adding to his collection, he gifted it to Simon Draper. The poster was hung behind Draper's desk at the Virgin Records office. Branson wrote, "He was notoriously grumpy before breakfast and loved his eggs in the morning, so I bought him the poster, framed it and had it hung behind his desk."[8]
The pig became the mascot for the series, making its last regular appearance onNow That's What I Call Music 5,[3] and made a reappearance on the cover ofNow That's What I Call Music! 100 in 2018 andNow That's What I Call Music! 109 in 2021.
Richard Branson later married Joan Templeman in 1989.
The firstNow was released on 28 November 1983[9] and featured 30 UK hit singles from that year on adoublevinyl LP orcassette. Although the compilation of recent hit songs into a single release was not a new concept (K-tel andRonco, for example, had been issuing various-artist compilations for some years), this was the first time that two major record labels had collaborated on such a venture. Virgin agreed to a deal withEMI, which allowed a greater number of major hits to be included (the first album in the series included a total of "eleven number ones" on its sleeve). The album went to number one, and soon after,CBS/WEA'sThe Hits Album adopted a similar format toNow. The two series co-existed for the rest of the 1980s, and when Universal (formerly PolyGram fromNow 8 in 1986 through toNow 42 in 1999) joined the collaboration, theNow series was more successful commercially. TheOut Now series by MCA and Chrysalis was also established as a rival to the series,[10] but was short-lived and lasted only two volumes.
By 1989,Now,Hits, and other various-artist compilation albums were occupying such a large fraction of theUK Albums Chart that a separateUK Compilation Chart was created to restrict the Albums Chart to releases by a single act.[11]
The rate of release settled very quickly to three per year: one release around late March/early April, another around late July and a third around late November. Over a hundred "main series" (not including spin-off and special edition) albums have been released to date. The UK series has followed a double-album format throughout the series (many other foreign franchises of theNow series are only released on one disc), now exploiting the capacity of theCD to include between 40 and 46 tracks over two discs. Since July 2006 (Now That's What I Call Music! 64), theNow! series have only been released on CD and digital download formats. Previously, the series had been available onvinyl,cassette andMiniDisc, until these formats declined in popularity.
Peter Duckworth and Steve Pritchard have been managing the Now brand sinceNow 17.Mark Goodier has voiced theNow adverts sinceNow That's What I Call Music! 21 in 1992, when he worked forBBC Radio 1, with the exception ofNow That's What I Call Music! 95 in 2016, which was voiced byMatt Edmondson due to Goodier suffering a stroke around that time.[12] Ashley Abram of Box Music compiled the albums fromNow That's What I Call Music II in 1984 through toNow That's What I Call Music! 81 in 2012.[13] Jenny Fisher took over as the compiler beginning withNow That's What I Call Music! 82.[citation needed]
On 23 October 2013, the NOW Music television channel was launched in the UK.[14] Targeting a broad age group, the channel used to play current popular music in the daytime and hits from its 30-year back catalogue in the evenings. It was renamed toNow 80s on 27 December 2016. Its success has led to two more branded channels exploring decades,Now 90s on 27 December 2017, replacing Chilled TV, andNow 70s on 27 December 2019, replacing Total Country.
The most successful volume to date is 1999'sNow That's What I Call Music! 44, which sold 2.3 million copies and remains the biggest-selling various artists compilation album in the UK.[15] 2008'sNow That's What I Call Music! 70 sold 383,002 units in the first week of sales, the biggest ever first week sale of anyNow album.[16]
As of November 2025, the most featured artists areRobbie Williams with 39 followed byKylie Minogue with 35 andCalvin Harris with 34 singles,David Guetta with 32,Rihanna with 27,Katy Perry with 23 andGirls Aloud with 21. This does not include any uncredited appearances in groups or on charity records.[2][citation needed]
Now 5 (1985) was ranked that year's seventh best album in the sixth annualSmash Hits readers poll, whileNow 7 (1986) was a runner-up in the following year's edition.[17] The singerLiz McClarnon creditsNow 20 (1991) for helping her join the groupAtomic Kitten, after she sangOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Sailing on the Seven Seas" to its composer and Atomic Kitten founderAndy McCluskey during her audition, impressing him; she had discovered the song through the compilation.[18] Jeremy Cunningham of theindie band theLevellers cites the inclusion of their song "This Garden" onNow 26 (1993) as helping the band reach a wider audience, with their album and ticket sales increasing in the aftermath of its release.[18] In 2017, sales ofNow 48 (2001) surged after it was used as a plot device and soundtrack in an episode ofPeter Kay's Car Share, whose central character Kayleigh Kitson names it her favourite album. Despite being out of print, second-hand sales were high enough to cause the album to enterAmazon's compilation chart, with prices rising from as low as 11 pence to over £20.[19]
Although the albums started out on only vinyl records and cassette tapes, the formats on which the albums have been released have changed over the years:
In addition to the mainNow That's What I Call Music series, there have been a number of spin-off compilations in the UK using the name, including:
The record labels which make up the UK series have changed over the years but have always been controlled byEMI andVirgin Records, although Virgin Records' logo was last featured onNow! 74 as the companies became merged. The current entity controlling the series is Now That's What I Call Music LLP, a joint venture between Sony Music and Universal's EMI label (the old EMI/Virgin/PolyGram bloc).
In April 2017, sales ofNow 48 surged after it was used as the soundtrack for an episode ofPeter Kay's Car Share; despite being out of print, the second hand sales volume was high enough to cause the album to enter Amazon's compilation chart. Prices of the album rose from as low as 11 pence to over £20.[19]Now 48 is the favourite album of main character Kayleigh Kitson.[19][41]
Numerous different versions of theNow brand exist in other parts of the world, including:
Volume one was released in 1984 (a year after the original UK series launched).Now 50, released in November 2008, was issued as a double CD in commemoration of 25 years ofNow albums in South Africa, and double compact discs are every 3 albums through Now 80 released in November 2018 as the series switched to 2 in 2019, then one in 2020, the most recent Now Album to include a double disc was Now 83 this was also the last physical album to be released as further volumes are only available on streaming platforms. As of 2 September 2005, there has also been aNow DVD series.
This edition was released in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, etc. The first Asian Now That's What I Call Music! was released in 1995.
The series is often calledNow Asia due to the albums' origins:
EMI Indonesia has releasedNow Jazz (2007) andNow Arabia (2011).[42]
Following its introduction in China, theNow series has enjoyed great success, with a new compilation released approximately every three to four months. Each album contains current and recent hit singles from Chinese artists signed toEMI orPolydor, and from British and Australian pop acts such asKylie Minogue,Sophie Ellis-Bextor,Sugababes orRobbie Williams.
Now has been seen in Israel, starting in 1999. The first three albums are double discs.Now 4 was the first single disc and the rest in the series are also single disc.[citation needed]
Now started in South Korea on 22 March 2015[citation needed]. The first three albums were double discs, under the nameNow That's What I Call K-Pop.
Now Hity is the Czech version of theNow That's What I Call Music! series. Originally branded under the main family name, it was changed toNow Hity later in the run. There have also been spin-offs likeNow 2006.
Now Music is a Danish record label set up especially to releaseNow That's What I Call Music! albums in Denmark reaching the nineteenth edition in November 2007 not making anymore after that. As well as theNow regular series there have also been spin-offs includingNow Big Hits,Now Christmas,Now Summer,Now Clubbing,Now Dance andNow Hip Hop.
Robbie Williams is the artist to be featured the most often in the regular DanishNow series, just as he also is in the UKNow! series. He has appeared ten times in the Danish series.
The first FinnishNow That's What I Call Music was released in 2003 where it replace theAbsolute Hits series. The albums are released as double discs. There have also beenspin-offs includingNow That's What I Call Music Pop Hits andNow That's What I Call Dance Music.
In France theNow series is calledNow! Hits Référence. There have been releasedNow! Hits Référence 1-7 andNow! Hits Référence 2005, 2006 and 2007.
In Greece theNow series is calledNow: Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! ("Now These Are the Hits Today!").[43]Now 1 was released in 2002 andNow 2010 was released in 2009. In 2015 (early summer),Nowthat's what i call music 2015 was released as a follow-up to the compilation series. There have also been released someNow Dance albums in Greece.
TheNow series started in the Netherlands back in 1984 asNow This Is Music and a couple of spin-offs, such asNow Dance, a Christmas compilation (Now This Is Xmas) and several year-end compilations. The series ran from 1984 to 1989, ending with its 11th installment. The series was released on the EVA label, a joint venture of the Dutch branches ofEMI,Sony andAriola (later: BMG Ariola, a subsidiary ofBMG/Warner Music Group). A second series under the same title started in 1997, but only two albums were released.
The Norwegian series ofNow That's What I Call Music! is a joint venture by the Norwegian branches of Universal Music, Sony Music, EMI Music and Warner Music. Prior to 2009 they released two independent series calledAbsolute Music by EVA Records (EMI and Warner Music) andMcMusic (Sony Music Entertainment AS and Universal Music Group AS).
The first issue ofNow That's What I Call Music! in Norway wasreleased in November 2009.
TheNow series in Portugal is a joint-venture between the three major international publishers present in Portugal –EMI,Sony andUniversal. In 2010, it was announced that total sales of the series, not counting the extra editions, topped one million copies in Portugal.[44] Through Volume 21 of the series, the multi-volume sets have included 414 national and international artists and a total of 787 different songs, ranking in an impressive four gold and 19 platinum records.
The first album released in Portugal wasNOW 99 and released by EMI on 2 December 1999. From theNow 2 throughNow 21, the compilation was always done on a rotation system among the three music companies. In addition to these volumes, the series includes six dance editions, a DVD and the tenth anniversary commemorative edition,NOW 10 ANOS, released by EMI in December 2009. On 26 April 2010,Now Mix 2010 was released, which includes dance versions of popular songs in a non-stop mix format.[1][dead link].
The most recent editions,Now 36Various - NOW 36, was released in November 2021.
Now has also been seen in Spain under the name ofNow Esto sí es música ("Now ThisIs Music"). The original series included six releases from 1984 to 1989. The compilation album is released as a double CD album. Later the series started over withNow Esto Es Música 1,[43] which included songs from artists likeJuanes,Enrique Iglesias,George Michael,Sheryl Crow,Tiziano Ferro,Alex Ubago,Las Ketchup andU2.Now Esto Es Música 2003 has also been released.[45] But due to the lukewarm success, no more albums were released since 2004.
However, in late 2009,EMI Music released the album "Now Dance" in Spain, which contains all the biggest dance hits in Spain during 2009, includingLady Gaga,David Guetta featuringKelly Rowland,The Black Eyed Peas andKaty Perry, among others.[46]
The first installment of the product line into Canada was released in 1988[citation needed]. The second installment of the product line was released in 1995. Beginning with the second installment of the series, repertoire was licensed from Universal, Warner and EMI. Songs from Sony and BMG was not included on any editions of the series in Canada. Since the second installment of the series, Universal, Warner and EMI have formed a joint venture together and generally take turns to release the series. From the years of 1996 to 2009 the series released an annual compilation usually in the late summer months. However, beginning withNow 15, there have been two editions each year which usually take place in early winter and late summer.Now 28 was the last release in 2017.
Now has also been seen in Mexico, with ten releases. The track listings on the Mexican albums are only slightly different from those of the Argentine ones.
The series ofNow albums was brought to the United States in 1998 by Bob Mercer.[47] The last physical album in the series was,Now That's What I Call Music! 90, which was released on May 3, 2024.
Collectively, theNow compilations sold extremely well in the U.S. Each of the first 29 volumes received at least aplatinum certification, and 18 albums from the series have reached number one on theBillboard 200 albums chart, more than any individual recording artist except theBeatles.[48] However, more recent releases have not sold as well, withNow That's What I Call Music! 77 selling only an estimated 7,500 copies in its first week, compared to the 621,000 copiesNow! 7 sold in its debut week in July 2001.[49]
The most successful album in the series to date isNow That's What I Call Music! 5, which was certified 4× Platinum by theRIAA in 2000.[50] Since the fourth volume, Jeff Moskow was the album compiler.[51]
Various "special edition"Now! albums were also released, such asNow Esto Es Musica! Latino,Now That's What I Call Motown, andNow That's What I Call the 1990s. Since the release of Volume 32 in 2009, albums included bonus "Now What's Next" tracks by not-yet-fully-established artists at the expense of additional hit songs.[52] The 2020s saw theNow brand being introduced to streaming services such asSpotify.[53]
| This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Now That's What I Call Music!" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Australian series trialed in 1987 asNow That's What I Call Music 1 on Vinyl[54] and Cassette tape the second was a single disc edition titlesNow 01 hot 30 and released in 2002, as a replacement for the long-running100% Hits brand. The series is a joint venture betweenEMI Music Australia andWarner Music Australia.
Now 01 appeared in July of that year, followed byNow 02 in time for Christmas 2002. 2003'sNow 03 came with a bonus DVD;[citation needed] the first standalone DVD release (Now Vision 2004) appeared the following year.Now 08 was the last of this series however a second series took over this time with seasons instead of volumes for exampleNow Winter 2005,Now Spring 2005.Now Summer 2014 was the last in the second series, on the third series the season was dropped and instead the year and volume is used for exampleNow 2014 Vol.1,Now 2019 Vol.1 was the last in the series.
In 2006 theNow Summer 2007 was the first double disc edition in the Australian series. In 1994, four albums were released, all with the titleNow That's What I Call Music - 100% thenDance,Ballad,Rap orAlternate.
Now That's What I Call Music! has released over 60 physical albums in New Zealand since 1997. The first was released as a trial in 1985 on Vinyl and was the only release until 1992.Compiled in partnership with the country's top record companies, this compilation series stands as one of the best-selling in New Zealand music history (RIANZ), achieving multi-platinum sales. An unrelated,Now That's What I Call Music! series byWarner Bros. Records released only three albums between 1992 and 1993.[citation needed]
The final physical album in the main series was released on July 3, 2020.[55] Subsequent albums have continued on streaming platforms such as Spotify.[56]
Other non-series that has been released wasNow That's What I Call Music NZ[57], and a holiday-themed album,Now That's What I Call Christmas, was released on November 16, 2023.[58]
As of 2024, the latest release isNow That's What I Call Music! 63, published on July 6, 2021.[59]
Now has been seen inArgentina, with at least nine releases. The track listings on the ArgentineNow albums are only slightly different from those of the Mexican ones.
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