Now That's What I Call Music!
Encyclopedia
Now That's What I Call Music! (1983–present) (often shortened to Now!) is a series of various artists compilation album
s released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Polygram
(as Universal
)/EMI
/Sony Music
/Virgin Records
(The Big Four record labels
); spinoff series were later introduced in South Africa (1984) and many other countries worldwide, including the United States in 1998. Since its launch in 1983, the series has amassed over 100 million album sales worldwide.
executives Stephen Navin, John Webster and Simon Draper engaged Ashley Abram of specialist compilations consultancy Box Records (he still compiles the albums). The series took its name from a 1920s advertising poster hanging in an office for Danish
meat products which showed a pig listening to a whistling cockerel. The pig became the Now! series' mascot for a while, making its last appearance on Now That's What I Call Music 5.
The first Now! compilation appeared in November 1983 and collected thirty UK hit singles from that year on a double vinyl LP
or cassette. The concept of a compilation of recent hit singles was not new; Ronco
and K-tel
had been issuing single-disc collections since the early 1970s. However, by spreading tracks across two discs instead of one, the Now! series was able to achieve better sound quality (tracks were often edited to fit a running time on K-Tel and Ronco single disc compilations).
The other major difference of the Now! series was its collaborative nature between major record labels. Virgin agreed a deal with EMI
, which allowed a greater number of major hits to be included (the first album in the series boasted of "eleven number ones" on its sleeve, something previously unheard-of). The album went to number one and soon had a major rival in CBS
/WEA
's The Hits Album
which adopted a similar format to Now! The two series co-existed for the rest of the 1980s, but when Universal joined the collaboration the Now! series dominated commercially.
Although the rate of release varied in the early days, it has now settled down to three per year: one release around Easter, another during the summer, and a third around November. 80 albums have been released to date. The newest album in the series, Now That's What I Call Music! 80
, was released on 21 November in the UK. The UK series continues to follow the double-album format, now exploiting the capacity of the CD
to include between forty and forty-six songs over its two discs. At the current time, the Now series are only released on CD and digital download formats. Previously the Now series was available on Vinyl; audio cassette & MiniDisc
formats, with the decline of popularity with these formats as well as the limited track number capacity of these formats, Nows are no longer issued on them.
Mark Goodier
has been the voice of Now! adverts since the 21st volume in 1992, going back to his days with BBC Radio 1
.
Spice Girls
hold the title for most consecutive positions at track #1 on CD1. These include "Wannabe
" on Now 34, "Say You'll Be There
" on Now 35 and "Mama
" on Now 36.
Robbie Williams
is the artist to be featured the most times in the UK Now! series. In the first 79 Now! albums, he has appeared 33 times (including six times with Take That
). His first appearance was with Take That on Now 22 with "It Only Takes a Minute
" and he features on Now 79
with Take That
with "Love Love
". Robbie Williams
is also the act with the most double appearances on a single Now album, as he has appeared with two songs on Now 39, Now 41, Now 47, and also with Now 75
due to his appearance on "Everybody Hurts
".
Cheryl Cole
is the most featured female
artist and second most overall. She has 25 appearances (20 with Girls Aloud
, 4 solo appearances and a featured appearance on Will.i.am
's Heartbreaker
on Now 70). She featured on Now 54 with Girls Aloud
with "Sound of the Underground
" and featured on Now 77
with "Promise This
".
The Candi Station and The Source song "You Got the Love
" is the song to appear most on a Now album in the main series. It appeared first on Now 19, then later on Now 36 and on Now 63, all three times in remixed form. Then later on Now 74 was a cover of the song by Florence + The Machine, and on Now 76
was a live version of the Florence + The Machine cover, under the name "You Got the Dirtee Love".
and Virgin Records
, although Virgin Records' logo was last featured on Now! 74
was released in 1995.
The series is often called Now Asia since Now 1 and Now 2 are from EMI Hong Kong, Now 3 and Now 4 are from EMI Malaysia, Now 7 is from EMI Taiwan and Now 5, Now 6 and Now 8 are from EMI Asia. The Indonesian versions of the albums are slightly different from the Asian ones.
EMI Asia has also released Now Dance (2000), Now The Essential Collection (2003), Now + volume 1 (2004) and Now + volume 2 (2005).
EMI Indonesia has released Now Jazz (2007) and Now Arabia (2011).
or Polydor, and from British and Australian pop acts such as Kylie Minogue
, Sophie Ellis-Bextor
, Sugababes
or Robbie Williams
.
or Sophie Ellis-Bextor
(in a similar manner to the Chinese Now! compilations). The Japanese series also has released some of the spin-offs like other countries do.
, twenty-one Now! albums have been released in Japan with little success; they haven't been on Oricon
's charts for at least the past three years. EMI Music Japan and Polydor Japan plan to release Now 22 on December 4, 2006.
Robbie Williams
is the artist to be featured the most times in the regular Danish Now series, just as he also is in the UK Now! series. He has appeared ten times in the Danish series.
, eight Now! albums have been released in Finland. There have also been spin-offs
including Now That's What I Call Music Pop Hits and Now That's What I Call Dance Music.
, Virgin and Ariola (later: BMG Ariola, a subsidiary of BMG
/RCA Records
). A second series under the same title started in 1997, but only two albums were released.
, Sony
and Universal
. In 2010, it was announced that total sales of the series, not counting the extra editions, topped one million copies in Portugal. Through Volume 21 of the series, the multi-volume sets have included 414 national and international artists and a total of 787 different songs, raking in an impressive four gold and 19 platinum records.
The first album released in Portugal was NOW 99 and released by EMI on 2 December 1999. From the Now 2 through Now 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 April 26, 2010, Now Mix 2010 was released, which includes dance versions of popular songs in a non-stop mix format.http://itunes.apple.com/pt/album/now-mix-2010/id369921508?uo=4.
The most recent editions, Now Mix 2http://itunes.apple.com/pt/album/now-mix-2/id395675704?uo=4 and Now 23http://www.worten.pt/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=04582406&oid=&c=, were released in October and November 2010, respectively.
, Enrique Iglesias
, George Michael
, Sheryl Crow
, Tiziano Ferro
, Alex Ubago
, Las Ketchup
and U2
. Now Esto Es Música 2003 has also been released. But due to the lukewarm success, no more albums were released since 2004.
However, in late 2009, EMI Music released in Spain the album "Now Dance", which contains all the biggest Dance hits in Spain during the 2009, including Lady GaGa
, David Guetta
featuring Kelly Rowland
, The Black Eyed Peas
and Katy Perry
, among others.
, was released on November 8, 2011.
The Now! compilations have done extremely well in sales in the U.S. Each of the first twenty-nine volumes has received at least a platinum certification
, and fifteen albums from the series reached number one on the Billboard 200
albums chart. However, recent releases have not sold as well with Now! 34
selling only 88,000 copies in its first week, compared to the 621,000 copies Now! 7
sold in its debut week in July 2001.
Recent trends in the United States have been releases of "special edition" Now! albums, such as Now Esto Es Musica! Latino
, Now That's What I Call Country
, and Now That's What I Call Motown
; and the inclusion of "bonus tracks" by not-yet-established artists at the expense of additional hit songs.
Now 01
appeared in July of that year, followed by Now 02 in time for Christmas 2002. 2003's Now 03 came with a bonus DVD; the first standalone DVD release (Now Vision 2004) appeared the following year. After Now 08 the series changed its name to Now Winter 2005, Now Spring 2005 etc.
In 2006 the Now Summer 2007 was the first double disc edition in the Australian series.
In 1994 four albums were released, all with the title Now That's What I Call Music - 100% then Dance, Ballad, Rap or Alternate.
) with multi-platinum album sales.
Television commercials remain the albums' sole marketing tool in New Zealand. The commercials for albums 18 through 32 are voiced by Mai FM
DJ, Doug "Big D" Te Moni, and produced by Auckland television and film production company, Flying Start Pictures.
Doug Te Moni says "It's very funny..i normally never get to see the visuals and most times i record (cold) without music...i'm always blown away when i see it on TV like everybody else" "..I get to work with some very talented people". "All my friends and their kids have at least two albums in the series...i know some people that have the entire series".
The success of the television commercials has been in part due to the delivery of the slogan by Big D during the recording sessions for the album. The slogan, "It's Hot", was created for Now 18 and delivered with an inflection that has made the slogan easily one of the most recalled by fans of the album. Variations of the slogan have included "It's Super Hot" and "It's Sizzling Hot".
The commercials are now produced by Nick Smart (Nick Smart Marketing)with the voice recorded at - Stebbing Recording Studios, Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand.
, with at least nine releases. The track listings on the Argentine Now albums are only slightly different from those of the Mexican ones.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Polygram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
(as Universal
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
)/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
/Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
/Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
(The Big Four record labels
World music market
The music industry or music business sells compositions, recordings and performances of music. Among the many individuals and organizations that operate within the industry are the musicians who compose and perform the music; the companies and professionals who create and sell recorded music The...
); spinoff series were later introduced in South Africa (1984) and many other countries worldwide, including the United States in 1998. Since its launch in 1983, the series has amassed over 100 million album sales worldwide.
Original United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland series
Looking for a way to re-issue/recycle music tracks for additional revenue, Virgin RecordsVirgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
executives Stephen Navin, John Webster and Simon Draper engaged Ashley Abram of specialist compilations consultancy Box Records (he still compiles the albums). The series took its name from a 1920s advertising poster hanging in an office for Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
meat products which showed a pig listening to a whistling cockerel. The pig became the Now! series' mascot for a while, making its last appearance on Now That's What I Call Music 5.
The first Now! compilation appeared in November 1983 and collected thirty UK hit singles from that year on a double vinyl LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
or cassette. The concept of a compilation of recent hit singles was not new; Ronco
Ronco
Ronco is an American company that manufactures and sells a variety of items and devices, most commonly those used in the kitchen. Ron Popeil founded the company in 1964, and commercials for the company's products soon became pervasive and memorable, in part thanks to Popeil's personal sales pitches...
and K-tel
K-tel
K-tel International is an "As-Seen-On-TV" company, which is most noted for its compilation music albums, such as "The Super Hits" series, "The Dynamic Hits" series and "The Number One Hits" series...
had been issuing single-disc collections since the early 1970s. However, by spreading tracks across two discs instead of one, the Now! series was able to achieve better sound quality (tracks were often edited to fit a running time on K-Tel and Ronco single disc compilations).
The other major difference of the Now! series was its collaborative nature between major record labels. Virgin agreed a deal with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, which allowed a greater number of major hits to be included (the first album in the series boasted of "eleven number ones" on its sleeve, something previously unheard-of). The album went to number one and soon had a major rival in CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
/WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
's The Hits Album
The Hits Album
Hits was a compilation album series which ran in the United Kingdom for over 20 years between 1984 and 2006. It was compiled as a joint venture, usually between the compilation arms of the Sony BMG and Warner Music groups Hits was a compilation album series which ran in the United Kingdom for over...
which adopted a similar format to Now! The two series co-existed for the rest of the 1980s, but when Universal joined the collaboration the Now! series dominated commercially.
Although the rate of release varied in the early days, it has now settled down to three per year: one release around Easter, another during the summer, and a third around November. 80 albums have been released to date. The newest album in the series, Now That's What I Call Music! 80
Now That's What I Call Music! 80 (UK series)
Now That's What I Call Music! 80 or Now! 80 is a double-disc compilation album released in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2011. It is the 80th edition of the UK Now! series....
, was released on 21 November in the UK. The UK series continues to follow the double-album format, now exploiting the capacity of the CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
to include between forty and forty-six songs over its two discs. At the current time, the Now series are only released on CD and digital download formats. Previously the Now series was available on Vinyl; audio cassette & MiniDisc
MiniDisc
The disc is permanently housed in a cartridge with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" floppy disk. This shutter is opened automatically by a mechanism upon insertion. The audio discs can either be recordable or premastered. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to record...
formats, with the decline of popularity with these formats as well as the limited track number capacity of these formats, Nows are no longer issued on them.
Mark Goodier
Mark Goodier
-Early career:Mark Goodier was born in Rhodesia . His family moved to the UK when he was a child, eventually settling in Scotland. He was educated at George Heriot's School, in Edinburgh. He became a mobile DJ in Edinburgh and then joined local station Radio Forth at the age of 19...
has been the voice of Now! adverts since the 21st volume in 1992, going back to his days with BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Records/achievements
The most successful has been 1999's Now That's What I Call Music! 44, which has sold 2.3 million copies and is the 46th best selling album in UK chart history, and the biggest selling compilation album ever. 2008's Now That's What I Call Music! 69 sold 382,759 units in the first week of sales, the biggest ever first week sale of any Now album beating the previous record of Now 57 in 2004.Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
hold the title for most consecutive positions at track #1 on CD1. These include "Wannabe
Wannabe (song)
"Wannabe" is the debut song by British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...
" on Now 34, "Say You'll Be There
Say You'll Be There
"Say You'll Be There" is a song by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls and Eliot Kennedy, for their debut album Spice, released in November 1996. Production duo Absolute incorporated a mix of pop and R&B into the song, which includes an harmonica solo, played by Judd...
" on Now 35 and "Mama
Mama (Spice Girls song)
"Mama" is a song by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...
" on Now 36.
Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
is the artist to be featured the most times in the UK Now! series. In the first 79 Now! albums, he has appeared 33 times (including six times with Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
). His first appearance was with Take That on Now 22 with "It Only Takes a Minute
It Only Takes a Minute
"It Only Takes a Minute" is a 1975 song by Tavares. It would become the group's only Top 10 pop hit in the United States, peaking at #10. It also became their second #1 song on the American soul charts....
" and he features on Now 79
Now That's What I Call Music! 79 (UK series)
Now That's What I Call Music! 79 or Now! 79 is a double-disc compilation album released in Ireland on 22 July 2011 and the United Kingdom on 25 July 2011...
with Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
with "Love Love
Love Love (Take That song)
"Love Love" is a single by British pop group Take That from the band's first EP, Progressed. It serves as the official single of the movie X-Men: First Class. The song features Gary Barlow and Mark Owen on lead vocals...
". Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
is also the act with the most double appearances on a single Now album, as he has appeared with two songs on Now 39, Now 41, Now 47, and also with Now 75
Now That's What I Call Music! 75 (UK series)
Now That's What I Call Music! 75 or Now! 75 is a double-disc compilation album released in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2010. The album is the 75th edition of the Now! series and is available on CD and downloadable formats....
due to his appearance on "Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by...
".
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
is the most featured female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
artist and second most overall. She has 25 appearances (20 with Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
, 4 solo appearances and a featured appearance on Will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
's Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker (will.i.am song)
"Heartbreaker" is the second single from rapper will.i.am's third album Songs About Girls. The British single version features guest vocals from Cheryl Cole; this version was also featured on Cole's debut solo album 3 Words which was released in October 2009.-Release and reception:Cheryl Cole's...
on Now 70). She featured on Now 54 with Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
with "Sound of the Underground
Sound of the Underground (song)
"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
" and featured on Now 77
Now That's What I Call Music! 77 (UK series)
Now That's What I Call Music! 77 or Now! 77 is a double-disc compilation album that was released in the United Kingdom on 22 November 2010 on CD and downloadable formats. The album is the 77th edition of the UK Now! series...
with "Promise This
Promise This
"Promise This" is a song by British recording artist Cheryl Cole, taken from her second studio album Messy Little Raindrops. It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the album's lead single on 24 October 2010 by Fascination Records...
".
The Candi Station and The Source song "You Got the Love
You Got the Love
"You Got the Love" is a 1986 single by the band The Source and Candi Staton. One of its many remixers also adopted the name The Source. In 2008, the song was recorded by English soul singer Joss Stone for her fourth studio album, "Colour Me Free!" released in October 2009...
" is the song to appear most on a Now album in the main series. It appeared first on Now 19, then later on Now 36 and on Now 63, all three times in remixed form. Then later on Now 74 was a cover of the song by Florence + The Machine, and on Now 76
Now That's What I Call Music! 76 (UK series)
Now That's What I Call Music! 76 or Now! 76 is a double-disc compilation album that was released in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2010...
was a live version of the Florence + The Machine cover, under the name "You Got the Dirtee Love".
Formats
Although starting out on only vinyl records and cassette tapes, the formats on which the albums have been released have changed over the years:- Unabridged (double CD) full versions of Now were first available starting with Now 10 in 1987, although a version of Now 4 was released on CD featuring songs that had appeared on the vinyl and cassette configurations of Nows 2, 3 & 4. Now 8 (17 tracks) and Now 9 (16 tracks) were also released in 1986 & 1987 respectively as single disc CDs.
- Vinyl editions ended in 1996 with Now 35.
- MiniDiscMiniDiscThe disc is permanently housed in a cartridge with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" floppy disk. This shutter is opened automatically by a mechanism upon insertion. The audio discs can either be recordable or premastered. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to record...
s of the Now series started with Now 43 in 1999 and ended with Now 48 in 2001. - Now 62 in 2005 was the first Now album to be released as a digital downloadMusic downloadA music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
across online music storeOnline music storeAn online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
s, and the first that allowed buyers of the CD format to unlock a secret free Now 62 area on the Now website, with features such as exclusive interviews and music videos. - Cassette tapes ceased in 2006 with the final cassette being Now 63.
- VHS TapesVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
were released as companions to all the Now! albums from the first Now! to Now! 20 except for Now! 19. They contained music videos some of which were for tracks featured on the accompanying album and others for tracks which were not. Some of the earlier volumes were also released on Betamax and for some volumes laserdiscLaserdiscLaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
s were also released.
Now Podcasts
In 2008 the first Now podcast was created to celebrate the brand's 25th anniversary. All 71 volumes and 25 years of the Now series are chronicled and celebrated on these podcasts which include the thoughts and memories of several key players in the history of Now: John Webster, former Virgin Records executive and one of the fathers of Now; DJ and provider of all the voice-overs for all Now commercials since 1992; Mark Goodier, Pete Duckworth, co-managing director of EMI Music Marketing; and industry legend Ashley Abram of Box Music who has compiled every Now album since the second Volume in 1984.Spin-offs
In addition to the main Now That's What I Call Music series, there have been a number spin-off compilations in the UK using the name, including:- Now Dance - a series in its own right, these compilations originally consisted of 12" mixes of current hits. They now focus on 7" mixes of recent dance hits, and a Very Best of Now Dance compilation has been released.
- At least two different series of year-by-year "retrospective" compilations, covering 1983 to 1995, and 1980 to 1999 respectively (the latter known as Now! - The Millennium Editions).
- At least three "best-of" compilations covering the entire Now! series. Now Decades, Now Years and Now 25 Years are these three albums, but there have been other albums like Now No.1's which also cover the entire Now! series.
- At least one tie-up with Smash Hits magazineSmash HitsSmash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
in 1987, called Now Smash HitsNow Smash HitsNow That's What I Call Music, Smash Hits was a compilation album released in 1987. The album is part of the Now! series, and is a collaboration with Smash Hits magazine, a successful pop music based magazine at the time...
. (Smash Hits later went on to release their own compilations). - Christmas releases, including some classic Christmas favourites
- Sometimes considered a spin-off, video releases, including video cassetteVideocassette recorderThe videocassette recorder , is a type of electro-mechanical device that uses removable videocassettes that contain magnetic tape for recording analog audio and analog video from broadcast television so that the images and sound can be played back at a more convenient time...
editions of many early Now! compilations, and (more recently) yearly DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
video releases. - Other releases include Now Karaoke and the interactive DVD Now That's What I Call A Music Quiz.
- A series of compilation video games (for the Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
amonst other home computers) were released in the mid-80s by Virgin Games with the name Now Games. - A Wii game is to be released on 25 November 2011 named Now That's What I Call Music! - Dance and Sing. It features tracks by recent artists, including Alexandra BurkeAlexandra BurkeAlexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
, Jessie JJessie JJessica Ellen Cornish , better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked...
, Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, Tinie TempahTinie TempahPatrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...
, Calvin HarrisCalvin HarrisCalvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
and Plan BPlan BPlan B is a popular term used to mean a reserved, secondary plan, in case a first plan fails. Plan B is also an FDA-approved emergency contraception drug.It also may refer to:-People:...
. It features a Dance Mode, Sing Mode and Career Mode.
Record labels
The record labels which make the UK series have changed over the years but remain to be controlled by EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, although Virgin Records' logo was last featured on Now! 74
- Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
were a label from Now 1 to Now 74. Up until Now 61, they used just the "Virgin" logo. From that same volume onwards, the "Virgin Records" logo was used. - EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
were a label on all volumes. Up until Now 75, they logo they used was simply the "EMI" logo. From that volume onwards, "EMI TV"'s logo was used instead. - PolygramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
were a label from Now 8 to Now 42. - Universal Music were a label from Now 43 onwards.
- Box Music Ltd. have been a label of all volumes, but it was Now 26 onwards that their logo was used on the packaging.
- Also, the "Music from EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
" logo was used Now 62 onwards. - Sony BMG's logo was also used on the special edition of the album, Now! No.1s
Now! series in other countries
Numerous different versions of the Now! brand exist in other parts of the world, including:- Arabia (under the name Now That's What I Call Arabia)
- Argentina
- Asia region
- Australia
- Canada
- China
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Finland
- Greece
- Hungary
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- South Africa
- South America
- Spain
- Turkey
- United States
South Africa
Volume one was released in 1984 (a year after the original UK series launched). The series often makes use of ideas from previous UK Now albums for its artwork. Now 50 was the double CD to celebrate the 25 years that the series ran and was released in November 2008. As of September 2, 2005, there has also been a Now DVD series.South East Asia
This edition was released in Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand etc. The first Asian Now That's What I Call Music!Now That's What I Call Music! (Asia)
Now That's What I Call Music! or NOW was released on July 20, 1995. Modeled after the highly successful Now That's What I Call Music! series in the United Kingdom, which compiles a number of songs that are popular around the time of its release, this album is the first edition of the Now! series in...
was released in 1995.
The series is often called Now Asia since Now 1 and Now 2 are from EMI Hong Kong, Now 3 and Now 4 are from EMI Malaysia, Now 7 is from EMI Taiwan and Now 5, Now 6 and Now 8 are from EMI Asia. The Indonesian versions of the albums are slightly different from the Asian ones.
EMI Asia has also released Now Dance (2000), Now The Essential Collection (2003), Now + volume 1 (2004) and Now + volume 2 (2005).
EMI Indonesia has released Now Jazz (2007) and Now Arabia (2011).
China
Following its introduction in China, the Now! 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 to EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
or Polydor, and from British and Australian pop acts such as Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...
, Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
or Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
.
Israel
Now has been seen in Israel, starting in 1999. The first three albums are double discs. Now 4 was the first single disc.Japan
The first Japanese Now That's What I Call Music was released in 1993. The albums contain major hits from both Japanese and British acts, like Kylie MinogueKylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
or Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...
(in a similar manner to the Chinese Now! compilations). The Japanese series also has released some of the spin-offs like other countries do.
, twenty-one Now! albums have been released in Japan with little success; they haven't been on Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
's charts for at least the past three years. EMI Music Japan and Polydor Japan plan to release Now 22 on December 4, 2006.
Czech Republic
Now Hity is the Czech version of the Now That's What I Call Music! series. Originally branded under the main family name, it was changed to Now Hity later in the run. There have also been spin-offs like Now! 2006.Denmark
Now Music is a Danish record label set up especially to release Now That's What I Call Music! albums in Denmark. As well as the Now regular series (as of November 2007 up to the nineteenth release), there have also been spin-offs including Now Big Hits, Now Christmas, Now Summer, Now Clubbing, Now Dance and Now Hip HopRobbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
is the artist to be featured the most times in the regular Danish Now series, just as he also is in the UK Now! series. He has appeared ten times in the Danish series.
Finland
The first Finnish Now That's What I Call Music was released in 2003 where it replace the Absolute Hits series. The albums are released as double discs., eight Now! albums have been released in Finland. There have also been spin-offs
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
including Now That's What I Call Music Pop Hits and Now That's What I Call Dance Music.
France
In France the Now series is called Now! Hits Référence. There have been released Now! Hits Référence 1-7 and Now! Hits Référence 2005, 2006 and 2007.Greece
In Greece the Now series is called Now Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! ("Now These Are the Hits Today!"). Now 1 was released in 2002 and Now 9 was released in 2006. There have also been released some Now Dance albums in Greece.Netherlands
The Now series started in the Netherlands back in 1984 as Now This Is Music and a couple of spin-offs, such as Now 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 of EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, Virgin and Ariola (later: BMG Ariola, a subsidiary of BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
/RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
). A second series under the same title started in 1997, but only two albums were released.
Norway
Now That's What I Call Music! released in Norway in late 2009.Portugal
The Now series in Portugal is a joint-venture between the three major international publishers present in Portugal – EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and Universal
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. In 2010, it was announced that total sales of the series, not counting the extra editions, topped one million copies in Portugal. Through Volume 21 of the series, the multi-volume sets have included 414 national and international artists and a total of 787 different songs, raking in an impressive four gold and 19 platinum records.
The first album released in Portugal was NOW 99 and released by EMI on 2 December 1999. From the Now 2 through Now 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 April 26, 2010, Now Mix 2010 was released, which includes dance versions of popular songs in a non-stop mix format.http://itunes.apple.com/pt/album/now-mix-2010/id369921508?uo=4.
The most recent editions, Now Mix 2http://itunes.apple.com/pt/album/now-mix-2/id395675704?uo=4 and Now 23http://www.worten.pt/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=04582406&oid=&c=, were released in October and November 2010, respectively.
Spain
Now has also been seen in Spain under the name of Now Esto si es música ("Now This Is Music"). The original series included six releases from 1984-1989. The compilation album is released as a double CD album. Later the series started over with Now Esto Es Música 1, which included songs from artists like JuanesJuanes
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums...
, Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
, George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, Tiziano Ferro
Tiziano Ferro
Tiziano Ferro is an Italian pop singer. He reached notoriety in 2001 and during his career he has also sung in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.-Childhood and early beginnings:...
, Alex Ubago
Álex Ubago
Álex Ubago is a Spanish singer-songwriter. He is especially known for his heartfelt voice and his ballads. He rose to stardom in 2001, when he appeared as a guest on a hit TV show in Spain. Alex started to tour national radios with his guitar to sing his songs live and be interviewed...
, Las Ketchup
Las Ketchup
Las Ketchup is a Latin Grammy Award nominated 4-girl group composed of sisters Lola Muñoz, Pilar Muñoz, Lucía Muñoz and Rocío Muñoz from Córdoba in Andalucia, Spain. They are the daughters of Juan Muñoz, a flamenco guitarist known as Tomatito , which is not the same as famous and virtuoso flamenco...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. Now Esto Es Música 2003 has also been released. But due to the lukewarm success, no more albums were released since 2004.
However, in late 2009, EMI Music released in Spain the album "Now Dance", which contains all the biggest Dance hits in Spain during the 2009, including Lady GaGa
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
featuring Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
and Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, among others.
Canada
A single CD with the same logo and full name Now That's What I Call Music was released in the mid 1980s. The similarly themed and named Canadian Now! CDs were first released in 1996, and have been released annually since then, usually in the summer. This Canadian series is not officially affiliated to the UK or U.S. series.Mexico
Now has also been seen in Mexico, with at least ten releases. The track listings on the Mexican albums are only slightly different from those of the Argentine ones.United States
The U.S. series of Now! albums began in 1998, initially just called "Now" before being given the full "Now That's What I Call Music!" title in the second compilation. The most recent album in the series, Now That's What I Call Music! 40Now That's What I Call Music! 40 (U.S. series)
- Deluxe Edition :-Reception:Allmusic critic Andy Kellman states that when Now! 40 was released in November 2011, half of the 16 "proper" tracks were in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, but the inclusion of Nickelback's "When We Stand Together" must have been for "stylistic variety" as the...
, was released on November 8, 2011.
The Now! compilations have done extremely well in sales in the U.S. Each of the first twenty-nine volumes has received at least a platinum certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
, and fifteen albums from the series reached number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart. However, recent releases have not sold as well with Now! 34
Now That's What I Call Music! 34 (U.S. series)
-Reception:Andy Kellman of Allmusic calls the addition of the so-called bonus tracks alarming. With 16 hits and near hits and four "bonus tracks", this Now That's What I Call Music collection "is 20 percent Tomorrow That's What I Might Call Music."...
selling only 88,000 copies in its first week, compared to the 621,000 copies Now! 7
Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (U.S. series)
-Chart performance:...
sold in its debut week in July 2001.
Recent trends in the United States have been releases of "special edition" Now! albums, such as Now Esto Es Musica! Latino
Now Esto Es Musica! Latino
Now Esto Es Musica! Latino is a music compilation album that was released on March 21, 2006 as part of the U.S. Now That's What I Call Music! series...
, Now That's What I Call Country
Now That's What I Call Country
Now That's What I Call Country is a country music compilation album released on August 26, 2008. The album is the first in the Now! series to be composed exclusively of country music tracks...
, and Now That's What I Call Motown
Now That's What I Call Motown
-Charts:...
; and the inclusion of "bonus tracks" by not-yet-established artists at the expense of additional hit songs.
Australia
The Australian series is a single disc edition and began in 2002, as a replacement for the long-running 100% Hits brand. The series is a joint venture between EMI Music Australia and Warner Music Australia.Now 01
Now 01 (Australian series)
Now 01 is a compilation CD released by EMI Music Australia and Warner Music Australia in 2002. It was the first of the new compilations to replace the long running 100% Hits CDs...
appeared in July of that year, followed by Now 02 in time for Christmas 2002. 2003's Now 03 came with a bonus DVD; the first standalone DVD release (Now Vision 2004) appeared the following year. After Now 08 the series changed its name to Now Winter 2005, Now Spring 2005 etc.
In 2006 the Now Summer 2007 was the first double disc edition in the Australian series.
In 1994 four albums were released, all with the title Now That's What I Call Music - 100% then Dance, Ballad, Rap or Alternate.
New Zealand
Now That's What I Call Music! has released 37 albums, the latest one released in a in late september. The series is compiled in co-ordination with New Zealand's top record companies. The series is one of the highest selling compilations in New Zealand music history (RIANZRecording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
) with multi-platinum album sales.
Television commercials remain the albums' sole marketing tool in New Zealand. The commercials for albums 18 through 32 are voiced by Mai FM
Mai FM
Mai FM - The Hottest Hip Hop and RnBMai FM is a Māori radio station located in Auckland, New Zealand. The station broadcasts on 88.6 FM in Auckland, 98.8 FM in Whangarei, 96.6 FM in Tauranga, 105.5 FM in Rotorua, 105.5 FM in Hawke's Bay, 97.0 FM in Manawatu and 88.9 FM in Christchurch. It plays...
DJ, Doug "Big D" Te Moni, and produced by Auckland television and film production company, Flying Start Pictures.
Doug Te Moni says "It's very funny..i normally never get to see the visuals and most times i record (cold) without music...i'm always blown away when i see it on TV like everybody else" "..I get to work with some very talented people". "All my friends and their kids have at least two albums in the series...i know some people that have the entire series".
The success of the television commercials has been in part due to the delivery of the slogan by Big D during the recording sessions for the album. The slogan, "It's Hot", was created for Now 18 and delivered with an inflection that has made the slogan easily one of the most recalled by fans of the album. Variations of the slogan have included "It's Super Hot" and "It's Sizzling Hot".
The commercials are now produced by Nick Smart (Nick Smart Marketing)with the voice recorded at - Stebbing Recording Studios, Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand.
Argentina
Now has been seen in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, with at least nine releases. The track listings on the Argentine Now albums are only slightly different from those of the Mexican ones.
External links
- Official UK "Now That's What I Call Music!" website
- Official UK "Now That's What I Call Music!" forum
- Official UK "Now That's What I Call Music!" Facebook page
- Official UK "Now That's What I Call Music!" YouTube channel
- Official US "Now That's What I Call Music!" website
- Official US "Now That's What I Call Music!" Facebook page
- Official Polish "Now That's What I Call Music!" website
- Official Japanese "Now That's What I Call Music!" website
- Official Portuguese "Now" Facebook page
- Official Portuguese "Now" Twitter page
- Official Portuguese "Now" YouTube channel
- Official Portuguese "Passatempo Now" website (challenges and gifts)
- Official Portuguese "Now 10 Anos" MySpace page