until Now 85 when they used the Sony label instead, until Now 90 when they stopped using labels on the main series. on 24 July 2015, the release dates in the UK and Ireland have been the same following the announcement of the Global Release Day campaign by IFPI, which became effective on 10 July 2015. A "Special Collectors Edition" of Now 1 was released on CD in 2009 as a digipak, 2015 and again in 2018 as a jewel case album. The frequency in which they were released also varied from year to year; initially, and most frequently across the series, there would be one Now Dance volume per year, but in 1994 for example, there were four volumes released, and in 1996, there weren't any Now Dance compilations released.

The first two volumes were not released on compact disc, and all subsequent releases were either single, double, or triple disc sets. It consists of 2 CD’s as usual, although the 2nd CD is filled in with new music and is not a re-release of old tracks. It features tracks by recent artists, including Alexandra Burke, Jessie J, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Tinie Tempah, Calvin Harris and Plan B. A triple-CD only release, Yearbook Extra: The Collectors Edition, is issued a few weeks later; these include lesser known tracks and more songs by big artists included on the main album and they are released only in standard gatefold wallet packaging.Over a hundred "main series" (not including spin-off and special edition) albums have been released to date. Due to the Universal Music Group's purchasing of EMI in 2012, a share of the Now albums' rights were transferred over to Sony Music Entertainment (a partner in the original Hits Album brand). As well as the Now regular series there have also been spin-offs including Now Big Hits, Now Christmas, Now Summer, Now Clubbing, Now Dance and Now Hip Hop. Virgin agreed to a deal with EMI, which allowed a greater number of major hits to be included (the first album in the series included a total of "eleven number ones" on its sleeve).

The first sixteen volumes were all released on the same date, with the final four being issued four months later. Starting with 1983, the series will cover each year in depth via compilations released on a four-CD boxset and 3 disc coloured vinyl LP set by Now Music, with a tie-in programme (featuring videos from the year in question) appearing on their Freeview TV channel. The series is then moved forward again, with the release of Now Yearbook 1992 in July 2023 (an Extra followed in August). The record labels which make up the UK series have changed over the years but have always been controlled by EMI and Virgin Records, although Virgin Records' logo was last featured on Now! Written-By – Aaron Simmonds, Andrew Wotman, Ashton Simmonds, Bernard Harvey, Felisha King, Giveon Dezmann Evans*, Justin Bieber, Keavan Yazdani, Louis Bell (4), Luis Manuel Martinez Jr.Another strand of the Now Yearbook series, in August 2022, is the somewhat experimental release of a limited edition, extended play, 7" vinyl single, containing 2 tracks each from the 1983 and 1984 Yearbooks.