This site has a good price for the 5 record Now Eurovision vinyl:

 

https://www.rarewaves.com/products/01965878...on-song-contest

 

And if you put SPRING10 code in at the checkout this weekend it takes another 10% off. I wouldn't have paid £100 for it but they've got me at £68.63.

My local Asda Living had Now 14 & 114 stocked up today

Now Legendary due for release on 26th May. Looks like this will be the only Now spin-off we get in May https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOW-Thats-What-Cal...y/dp/B0C2TBKMCS I reckon the next Now spin-off which will be announced is Now Yearbook Extra 1978 with a release date of 9th June and the next Now Yearbook which I’m hoping is 1987 with a release date of 30th June

Edited April 20, 20232 yr by Hadji

Now 114 reaches #1 but barely scrapes over 10k in sales

Now 114 reaches #1 but barely scrapes over 10k in sales

That’s bad for a numbered Now. And OCC also have Now 14 down as a new entry on the compilation chart. It should be classed as a re-entry as it charted in there back in 1989 where it reached #1

The sales are only going to drop further, I wonder how many years the numbered Now’s have left?

Not that it matters as the series expiration date has been long overdue now, given current listening trends, but what it does indicate with lower sales is that less profits to use to purchase more expensive licence rights to bigger hits in the future. They are effectively trading at a loss every year from now on, though this is not new, and it has been this way for some years now.

 

I wouldn't expect them to do anything new or original for the 40th anniversary later this year.

They should have just quit at 100 and focused on the spin offs after that.

Not that it matters as the series expiration date has been long overdue now, given current listening trends, but what it does indicate with lower sales is that less profits to use to purchase more expensive licence rights to bigger hits in the future. They are effectively trading at a loss every year from now on, though this is not new, and it has been this way for some years now.

 

I wouldn't expect them to do anything new or original for the 40th anniversary later this year.

I reckon for their 40th anniversary, they should release Now 40 Years with a release date of 3rd or 10th November, make it a 5 disc compilation with disc 1 covering 1983-1990, disc 2 covering 1991-1999, disc 3 covering 2000-2007, disc 4 covering 2008-2015 and disc 5 covering 2016-2023 with it also including songs which never made the numbered series like they did with Now Decades in 2003 and Now 30 Years in 2013

I reckon for their 40th anniversary, they should release Now 40 Years with a release date of 3rd or 10th November, make it a 5 disc compilation with disc 1 covering 1983-1990, disc 2 covering 1991-1999, disc 3 covering 2000-2007, disc 4 covering 2008-2015 and disc 5 covering 2016-2023 with it also including songs which never made the numbered series like they did with Now Decades in 2003 and Now 30 Years in 2013

They won't do that. Too expensive to facilitate and not enough return on the investment.

They won't do that. Too expensive to facilitate and not enough return on the investment.

I imagine they will do something big for the 40th anniversary

Now Legendary due for release on 26th May. Looks like this will be the only Now spin-off we get in May https://www.amazon.co.uk/NOW-Thats-What-Cal...y/dp/B0C2TBKMCS I reckon the next Now spin-off which will be announced is Now Yearbook Extra 1978 with a release date of 9th June and the next Now Yearbook which I’m hoping is 1987 with a release date of 30th June

 

Does anyone know why Queen get the privilege of opening so many Now albums?

Does anyone know why Queen get the privilege of opening so many Now albums?

Probably it’s because Queen will only license their songs on the condition that they get track 1

I just looked at the tracklisting and Rich telling me over Facebook. Gosh Simply Red who hasn't been relevant in 20 years on here... Some odd choices all round on the 2nd disc.

 

They should just go to 115 and finish. It's a shame but they are scraping the barrel with songs to fit on when they leave some noticeable hits off..

If they wanna scrape the barrel, they could at least include more current singles which missed the top 40 ie. Sigala, instead of including artists just because they’re releasing an album ie. Simply Red. There’s loads of big hits that missed out but yet they include past artists just because they’re releasing an album. No wonder sales are declining. They need to go back to compiling strong tracklists instead of scraping the barrel

Edited April 21, 20232 yr by Hadji

They don't include legacy artists because they're releasing an album, it's because of the historic listener base growing up with the compilations that they want to cater to a wider audience and keep people interested. An album release may play a part in that but it's definitely not just the reason for these artists being included.

They don't include legacy artists because they're releasing an album, it's because of the historic listener base growing up with the compilations that they want to cater to a wider audience and keep people interested. An album release may play a part in that but it's definitely not just the reason for these artists being included.

But they also wanna cater to the younger audiences hence why their albums all have clean lyrics and they edit out the explicit lyrics in certain songs. They should just keep the explicit lyrics and stop with this clean lyrics nonsense too. A vinyl release of Now 114 would’ve also helped it to increase sales

Edited April 22, 20232 yr by Hadji

Quality control is the big issue for me. I’m not sure the current setup with legacy act flops and a smattering of big hits is really selling to either younger or older audiences, as evidenced by the low sales.

 

As people make their own playlists, compilations of current hits are pretty much not commercially viable anymore anyway, but I would honestly just ditch the Easter release, as it always sells poorly anyway, and have a summer and winter album. That way you lose 50 fillers a year and concentrate on the hits, keep the quality control as tight as possible and have more time to license the big hits.

Or they could switch to the American format and have 4 single disc editions a year as release them every first Friday of March, June, September and December but saying that, I prefer 3 double disc editions a year as opposed to 4 single disc editions a year

Edited April 22, 20232 yr by Hadji

As I said before, someone wanting to listen to Simply Red and Noel Gallagher's HFB's will not get through the Skrillex and Sub Focus tracks.

 

I honestly think the path they started on 102 - cutting out the rap tracks and focussing on the big mainstream pop hits, accessable dance tracks, and singles from the recent big album sellers was the right to be approach to be moving forwards with. They should have stuck this format out. Despite leaving out the big rap/grime hits (which are unlistenable to the majority of people over 30) 102 was far more focussed and a better listen throughout without the awkward gear changes from ballads top drum n bass to grime to MOR. The flow doesn't work at all and overall isn't a good listen.

 

I now think it's time for the series to drop down to two editions per year - one in April/May and one in Oct/Nov and for them to release it on Vinyl, limited edition Cassettes as well as CD and download.