Adele's launch of new album 25 could be overshadowed as Now! 92 confirmed to be released on same day
She might have sold 40 million albums but the singer could lose a Christmas sales battle with the latest release in the Now That’s What I Call Music! compilation series.
The music industry is banking on the third album by Adele, which has a working title of 25, to rescue another sluggish year of sales. Retailers anticipate that the Adele album, four years in gestation, will finally arrive on 20 November.
But stores will not be clearing the shelves for Adele. Although star names, including One Direction, have moved their releases back to avoid the expected Adele juggernaut, Now! 92, the latest edition in the 32-year-old compilation series, has confirmed a 20 November launch date.
Retailers believe the Now! double-disc, which hoovers up the latest chart hits for a bargain price, could prove a better sales prospect than even Adele.
Now! 89, the equivalent album last Christmas, became the fastest-selling album of 2014, racking up one million sales in just over five weeks.
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Adele, whose album is released in the UK by the Beggars/XL independent group, has yet to confirm the release of 25. Songwriting collaborators on the album are believed to include Swedish hitmaker Max Martin, Tobias Jesso Jr, Danger Mouse and Ryan Tedder.
UK first calendar week sales record is 763k by Oasis' Be Here Now. Adele's best week was 257k (10 weeks after release of 21). I assume she can do 400k now.