How a 1930s bacon poster birthed a multi-million selling music empire
In short: In 1983, Virgin Records executives were tired of watching third-party labels profit from their hits. They decided to create their own compilation series. The name? It came from a vintage Danish Bacon advertisement featuring a pig listening to a chicken sing. That pig became a global icon.
The concept for 'Now That's What I Call Music!' originated in Richard Branson's Virgin Records offices. Co-creators Stephen Navin and Jon Webster, with Managing Director Simon Draper, sought to consolidate the market by capturing the day's biggest hits on a single release. They partnered with EMI, allowing the first release to include eleven number ones.
Branson gave Draper a 1930s Danish Bacon advertisement that served as the inspiration for the brand; it depicted a pig declaring, "Now, That's What I Call Music". This pig became the mascot, appearing on the first album and the 100th edition in 2018. The first volume sold one million copies almost immediately, eventually forcing the UK to create a separate compilation chart due to its market dominance.
Evolving from vinyl and cassette to digital, the series served as a profit maximiser and a discovery tool for artists like Liz McClarnon and the Levellers. Today, the brand spans television, video games, and genre-specific spin-offs.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Now That's What I Call Music!
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