NOW That’s What I Call Music! streaming app, co-owned by Universal & Sony, launches free tier

UK-born compilation brand NOW That’s What I Call Music! has launched a free (ad-funded) tier of its music streaming service, on the NOW Music App.

NOW That’s What I Call Music! is 50/50 co-owned by Sony Music and Universal Music and the streaming app is available on iOS and Android mobile devices.

The NOW Music compilations brand launched in 1983 has seen over 125 million sales and in 2019, over 1 billion streams were made through NOW playlists.

The NOW Music App is claimed to be the UK’s only “mid-tier” mobile streaming service and the ad-free service currently costs £4.99 per month.

The free tier allows “unlimited shuffle-play” access to the NOW catalog and weekly charts, with adverts between songs.

“The app has something for everyone, from the current chart toppers to the nostalgic superstars of past decades and the hottest breakthrough artists of today,” states the press release announcing the launch of the free tier.

“Users are able to listen to all the infamous NOW Music compilations, from the first-ever NOW That’s What I Call Music compilation right through to the most recent NOW That’s What I Call Music! 104 – the NOW Radio function has a station for everyone, from Fitness to 80s to Chillout.”

“We have seen a huge uptake in app downloads and streams pushing the app to the No.1 position over the Easter bank holiday, and we hope our Free tier will give people more choice to access the music they love.”

Alex McCloy, Now Music

Alex McCloy, Senior Digital Director said: “We’re a nation of music lovers and during COVID-19 music is more important than ever before.

“We have seen a huge uptake in app downloads and streams pushing the app to the No.1 position over the Easter bank holiday, and we hope our Free tier will give people more choice to access the music they love.

“NOW Music has a familiarity for millions of people and has been a trusted music brand since the 1980s; from vinyl to CDs and now streaming, we are continually developing NOW Music and our latest Free tier captures the fun of the NOW brand in an easy to use format.

“We will take people on a trip down memory lane and hopefully make a few new ones too.”Music Business Worldwide