Hit festive compilation record Now That’s What I Call Christmas has become the country’s sixth biggest selling album of all time, figures show.
According to Now Music, its seasonal offering has now sold more than 4.4 million copies, overtaking both Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Adele’s 25 in the UK.
The achievement comes months ahead of the release of the organisation’s milestone collection Now That’s What I Call Music! 100 in July.
Marking a total of more than 120 million sales since the musical series’ launch in 1983 – first on vinyl before moving on to cassettes, CDs and digital downloads – Now Music bosses are planning a line-up of events and products, including the release of extra edition Now That’s What I Call Now.
The company’s co-managing director Steve Pritchard said: “As we enter 2018, Now continues to hold its unique position in the pop world as a cultural and musical phenomenon.
“As a joint-venture label between Sony and Universal, Now is currently at pole position as the number one label in the Official Charts Company year to date chart… We’re very excited to see what 2018 and Now 100 brings – expect lots of fun, surprises and plenty of Now-stalgia.”
His comments come as the company celebrates a successful year, including 18 new album releases and 36 weeks at the top of the compilation chart for the Now records themselves.
Martin Talbot, CEO at the Official Charts Company, said: “Now! has been a fixture in the Official Charts for every one of its 35 years, both as a showcase of the biggest hits of every era and as a chart phenomenon in its own right.
“Like so many other fans of Now over the past three-and-a-half decades, I can’t wait for issue number 100.”
The album will follow the release of Now That’s What I Call Music! 99 in March.