Now That’s What I Call Music 100 is fastest-selling album of 2018 with huge opening week sales

The landmark 100th edition of the popular compilation posts impressive first week sales.
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The 100th edition of NOW That’s What I Call Music claims the fastest-selling album of 2018 so far as it lands straight in at Number 1 on the Official Compilation Albums Chart.

The collection sold 176,000 copies this week – eclipsing the week 1 sales of NOW 99 (115,000) and NOW 98 (154,000). The figure also far exceeds the fastest-selling artist album of the year so far, Arctic Monkeys' Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (86,000).

Meanwhile, the original NOW 1 album - re-released on CD this week - enters at Number 2. 

Co-Managing Director Now Music Peter Duckworth, said: “The phenomenal sales and streaming success of NOW 100 and NOW 1 in the last week shows that even after 35 years NOW is as popular and trusted as ever."

Just one NOW album has missed the top spot on the Official Chart in its 35-year run – NOW 4, released in 1984, got stuck at Number 2 behind rival compilation The Hits Album.  

The most successful NOW album is 1999’s NOW 44, which has sold 1.65 million copies, while NOW compilations have now spent 655 weeks at Number 1.

Now 100 features the latest hits of the moment plus a selection of popular tracks from the last 35 years, since the first NOW was released in 1983. View the tracklisting in full here.

Co-Managing Director Now Music Steve Pritchard, said: “We are really pleased with the amazing response to this landmark release. It is great to see our key retailers doing so well with the CDs across the board, as well as decent download sales.... and in the background what a great streaming response to the celebration this week."

OfficialCharts.com recently looked at the opening track of every NOW album, which is meant to reflect the biggest single of its period.

Ever wondered what compilations were like before NOW? We looked into it and - spoiler - they were very different

The Official Compilations Chart is unveiled every Friday on OfficialCharts.com at 5.45pm. See the latest Top 100 here.

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TM

Throatwobbler Mangrove

0

I can see what they were trying to do with the second disc in that compilation, but how on Earth do you put together a fair representation of almost 35 years worth of double albums on a CD containing just 21 tracks? Only THREE songs from the 1980s, for goodness' sake.

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marcooni

0

Probably the naffest of all the 100 NOW albums.