"NOW" IS THE FUTURE

In the little more than two years since "NOW That's What I Call Music Vol. 1" came out on Virgin, the U.K.-originated hits-compilation series has sold close to 15 million copies combined in the U.S.

Distribution rotates among four of the Big Five every two albums. "NOW Vol. 6," which is being distributed by Epic Records Group through Sony Music, hits retail April 3, after a three-week TV direct-marketing blitz. The new compilation includes music from Sony as well as Universal Music Group, EMI Group and Zomba Group. Among the 19 chart smashes are Destiny's Child ("Independent Women Pt. 1"), Shaggy ("It Wasn't Me"), Creed ("With Arms Wide Open"), Jennifer Lopez ("Love Don't Cost A Thing"), K-Ci & JoJo ("Crazy") and Lenny Kravitz ("Again").

Epic Records Group President Polly Anthony gently removed our handcuffs before adding: "It's great to be part of a project that is already a proven success. Having said that, with the talent we've put together for ‘NOW 6,' I believe this will be the biggest one yet."

The "NOW" series has been a worldwide phenomenon for two decades, generating sales of more than 75 million albums around the world.

Labels in the U.S. had long resisted the concept of current-hits compilations, feeling it cannibalized sales of albums. Retailers felt much the same about the direct TV marketing that has accompanied the series, but Virgin Records America Exec. VP Ken Pedersen helped bring the concept here—along with then-PolyGram boss Roger Ames and EMI's Ken Berry, who had spent most of their careers in Europe and gave their blessings to the project. Pedersen's next goal is to have kidney pie replace hamburgers as America's favorite meal.

"The hardest thing was to convince managers this wasn't going to destroy their artists' careers or album sales," said Pedersen. "If you put out a good product, reasonably priced and well-marketed, you will succeed... Mmm, kidney pie."

The labels now have research indicating that the series introduces listeners to music they may not have typically sought out and exposes artists to a wider buying audience. According to the data, more than 50% of those who purchase one of the "NOW" series will subsequently purchase an album by one of the participating artists. Retailers now view the advance TV marketing as the beginning of a campaign that includes in-store branding of the "NOW" name and displays of the entire series.

"It's like a classic Top 40 radio station," said Pedersen. "You have rock and pop and hip-hop and R&B side by side. And it's all been done with great cooperation among the major record companies. And how often do you see them get together to do something good for the industry?"

Not since everyone canceled their HITS subscriptions.

"NOW" & THEN (Title, Label, Release Date, U.S. Sales O.T.C., Acts)

"NOW 1" (Virgin) 10/6/98 1.9m (Janet, Fastball, Everclear)

"NOW 2" (Virgin) 7/27/99 1.7m (Britney Spears, BSB, Robbie Williams)

"NOW 3" (UME) 12/7/99 2.4m (Lenny Kravitz, blink-182, Limp Bizkit)

"NOW 4" (UME) 7/11/00 2.5m (Spears, Marc Anthony, Eiffel 65, Macy Gray)

"NOW 5" (Columbia) 11/14/00 4.1m (Destiny's Child, NSYNC, BBMak)