NOW That's What I Call #1! Newest Installment World's Best-Selling Music Compilation Series, 'NOW That's What I Call Music!,' Debuts in Top Spot

NOW That's What I Call #1! Newest Installment World's Best-Selling Music Compilation Series, 'NOW That's What I Call Music!,' Debuts in Top Spot

NOW That's What I Call Power Ballads Cracks the Top 30

SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 30, released March 24, 2009, will debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart (issue date April 11) according to Soundscan sales figures. The latest edition of the world's best-selling multi-artist album series, NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 30 occupies the top spot by besting the debuting Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack album which will enter at #2. Vol. 30 is the 12th in the numbered U.S. series to debut #1. Every numbered NOW release has reached the Billboard Top 10 (in fact, 28 of 30 have reached the Top 3), and all have been certified at least platinum. In addition, the series' latest spin-off, NOW That's What I Call Power Ballads, released on the same day, has also debuted in the Top 30.

Featuring 20 recent major hits from pop, rock, hip-hop and country, NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 30 includes pop #1s "Just Dance" from Lady GaGa and "Womanizer" from Britney Spears as well as pop Top 10s "Keeps Gettin' Better" from Christina Aguilera, "Miss Independent" from Ne-Yo (also #1 R&B/Hip-hop), "Gives You Hell" from The All-American Rejects, "Gotta Be Somebody" from Nickelback, "I'm Yours" from Jason Mraz, "Love Story" from Taylor Swift (also #1 Country), "Let It Rock" from Kevin Rudolf, "Heartless" from Kanye West and "Crush" from David Archuleta. Also heard are hits from Rihanna, John Legend, Pink, Pussycat Dolls, David Cook, Saving Abel, Katy Perry, Miranda Cosgrove, and Keith Urban.

For NOW That's What I Call Power Ballads, only the power of the NOW series could bring together for the first time rock heavyweights Journey, Aerosmith and Def Leppard. Their smash hits, "Faithfully," "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" and "Love Bites," respectively, are among the included 18 classic power ballads. From Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" to Whitesnake's "Is This Love," from Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" to Extreme's "More Than Words," the collection spans the greatest songs of the genre. The other bands heard are Heart, Cheap Trick, Bad English, Warrant, Survivor, Sheriff, Scorpions, Slaughter, Boston, Tesla and Queensryche.

In addition, NOW That's What I Call Music!, is partnering with Simon Fuller - founder of 19 Entertainment, and creator of "American Idol" - to bring the NOW brand to television and the internet.

The announcement comes on the heels of the NOW That's What I Call Music! series' stellar performance in 2008, remaining one of the music industry's top sellers alongside artists such as Taylor Swift and AC/DC. NOW That's What I Call Music! has enjoyed a decade of hits in the United States, selling 74 million albums since it debuted in 1998, and is widely regarded as the being "most successful brand in music." A worldwide phenomenon, NOW has topped the charts all over the world, and is available in territories as diverse as South Africa, Europe and the Middle East, generating The 200 million albums worldwide. Every album in the numbered U.S. series has reached the Billboard Top 10, with NOW 3 the first non-soundtrack, multi-artist collection in history to reach #1.

The NOW That's What I Call Music! series is a joint venture from EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group. NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 30 and NOW That's What I Call Power Ballads are distributed by Universal Music Group.

   NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 30    1. Lady GaGa featuring Colby O'Donis        Just Dance   2. Britney Spears                           Womanizer   3. Christina Aguilera                       Keeps Gettin' Better   4. Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne         Let It Rock   5. Kanye West                               Heartless   6. Ne-Yo                                    Miss Independent   7. John Legend featuring Andre 3000         Green Light   8. Rihanna                                  Rehab   9. Pussycat Dolls                           I Hate This Part   10. P!nk                                    Sober   11. David Archuleta                         Crush   12. Miranda Cosgrove                        About You Now   13. The All-American Rejects                Gives You Hell   14. David Cook                              Light On   15. Saving Abel                             18 Days   16. Nickelback                              Gotta Be Somebody   17. Katy Perry                              Thinking Of You   18. Jason Mraz                              I'm Yours   19. Taylor Swift                            Love Story   20. Keith Urban                             Sweet Thing    NOW That's What I Call Power Ballads    1. Poison                                   Every Rose Has Its Thorn   2. Journey                                  Faithfully   3. Aerosmith                                I Don't Want To Miss A Thing   4. Def Leppard                              Love Bites   5. Whitesnake                               Is This Love   6. Heart                                    Never   7. Cheap Trick                              The Flame   8. Bad English                              When I See You Smile   9. Night Ranger                             Sister Christian   10. Survivor                                The Search Is Over   11. Sheriff                                 When I'm With You   12. Scorpions                               Still Loving You   13. Slaughter                               Fly To The Angels   14. Extreme                                 More Than Words   15. Boston                                  Amanda   16. Tesla                                   Love Song   17. Warrant                                 Heaven   18. Queensryche                             Silent Lucidity     NOW SALES   NOW (October 1998, platinum)   NOW 2 (July 1999, debuted #3, double platinum)   NOW 3 (December 1999, peaked at #4, double platinum)   NOW 4 (July 2000, first compilation to debut #1, double platinum)   NOW 5 (November 2000, peaked at #2, quadruple platinum)   NOW 6 (April 2001, debuted #1, triple platinum)   NOW 7 (July 2001, debuted #1, triple platinum)   NOW 8 (November 2001, debuted #2, triple platinum)   NOW 9 (April 2002, debuted #1, double platinum)   NOW 10 (July 2002, debuted #2, platinum)   NOW 11 (November 2002, debuted #2, double platinum)   NOW 12 (March 2003, debuted #3, platinum)   NOW 13 (July 2003, debuted #2, platinum)   NOW 14 (April 2004, debuted #3, triple platinum)   NOW 15 (May 2004, debuted #2, double platinum)   NOW 16 (July 2004, debuted #1, triple platinum)   NOW 17 (November 2004, debuted #1, triple platinum)   NOW 18 (March 2005, debuted #2, platinum)   NOW 19 (July 2005, debuted #1, double platinum)   NOW 20 (November 2005, debuted #1, double platinum)   NOW 21 (April 2006, debuted #2, platinum)   NOW 22 (July 2006, debuted #1, platinum)   NOW 23 (November 2006, debuted #1, platinum)   NOW 24 (March 2007, debuted #2, platinum)   NOW 25 (July 2007, debuted #1, platinum)   NOW 26 (November 2007, peaked at #3, platinum)   NOW 27 (March 2008, debuted #2, platinum)   NOW 28 (June 2008, debuted #2, platinum)   NOW 29 (November 2008, debuted #3, platinum)     www.nowthatsmusic.com  

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FCMN Contact:

Source: Universal Music Enterprises

CONTACT: Keren Poznansky, Universal Music Enterprises, +1-310-865-7797,
keren.poznansky@umusic.com; Jennifer Ballantyne, EMI Music North America,
+1-323-871-5494, jennifer.ballantyne@emicap.com; Angela Barkan, SONY Music,
+1-212-833-8575, angela.barkan@sonymusic.com

Web Site: http://www.nowthatsmusic.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment