Hitzone

Hitzone, the first part of which appeared in 1998, is the name of one of the longest running and most successful series of compilations ever.

The first volume of Hitzone was released in January 1998 and featured current hits from acts like the Spice Girls, Vengaboys, Faithless, LL Cool J, and Backstreet Boys. The compilation was a follow-up to the series "More Hits Made Famous By The Music Factory," five volumes of which had already been released the previous year. There was still a connection to The Music Factory – TMF for short – as Hitzone was one of the programs on the then-popular Dutch music video channel.

Hitzone was an instant success. The first installment immediately reached number one on the album charts. The many editions that followed would almost all reach that same top spot. The series' major advantage was that most major record labels participated, meaning virtually all the current hits were available. Each installment of Hitzone, of which an average of four were released annually, always offered a good overview of what was hot and happening at the time.

While that formula was never changed, the presentation changed considerably. The first series was still compiled by TMF. After twenty episodes, Yorin FM took over. Since Hitzone 30, the compilations have been made in collaboration with Radio 538. From Hitzone 25 onward, the set included a CD and a DVD with the accompanying clips. Starting with Hitzone 44, the current format was chosen: a double CD packed with hits.

At Platenzaak.nl we have a lot of Hitzone CDs, including the latest part of Hitzone.