FANS OF NBC'S "THE VOICE" CAN NOW VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE ARTISTS VIA ITUNES

NBC AND UNIVERSAL RECORDS OFFER UNPRECEDENTED VOTING OPPORTUNITY BEGINNING WITH TONIGHT'S (JUNE 7) LIVE SHOW

Fans Can Also Connect in Real Time with the Artists Via Social Media During the Live Shows as Series Continues to Push the Boundaries Between Broadcast and Online

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - June 7, 2011 - In a first for a music competition series, NBC and Universal Republic Records will offer fans of NBC's "The Voice" (Tuesdays, 9-11 p.m. ET) the ability to vote for their favorite artists by downloading the studio versions of the songs that they perform on the live show each week via the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com).

Voting begins after tonight's (Tuesday, June 7) live show and can be made via iTunes downloads ($1.29 each) of the artists current solo single, toll-free phone calls, the NBC Live app and online at NBC.com. Only votes made during the designated voting period will be tallied.

Additionally, "The Voice" continues to push the boundaries between broadcast and online by bringing social media conversations to the on-air show. Bridging the gap between on-air and online will be V-Correspondent Alison Haislip (G4's "Attack of the Show!"), who will make regular appearances during the live broadcasts to engage fans and connect them to artists and coaches from the V-Room via Facebook, Twitter, NBC Live and NBC.com.

Starting with the live shows, fans who use #TheVoice or tweet to the show, coaches or artists' official handles may see their tweets appear in the lower third of the screen during V-Room portions of the live show.

The announcements were made by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios. ?

"This new voting opportunity reflects the reality of music lovers who vote everyday for their favorite artists by downloading and purchasing their music," said Telegdy. "Additionally, we are blown away by the overwhelming response from viewers via Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Our audience is totally engaged with our artists and coaches -- so we want to do everything we can to make this a part of the conversation on the air. The fans make the artists into stars, and it will be a completely new experience for them to see their favorites answer their questions on air."

Haislip will be responding and interacting with viewers in real time from the V-Room, which will have screens monitoring Twitter, NBC Live and NBC.com feeds. Before and after each artist performs, Haislip and the artists will monitor these screens and their devices to get fan feedback and to engage with the viewers. The show will check in with the V-Room throughout the broadcast, but the online interaction will be continuous.

"The Voice," featuring musician coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, is the 2010-11 season's #1 new series in adults 18-49 and ranks behind only "American Idol" among all entertainment series on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW. To date (May 30), "The Voice" is averaging a 5.4 rating, 14 share in adults 18-49 and 12.0 million viewers overall.

"The Voice" is an innovative vocal competition series modeled after Holland's top-rated vocal talent discovery show, "The Voice of Holland," which has already become the country's most successful new TV talent contest, with audience ratings which far exceed local versions of "The X Factor", "Idol", "Popstar" and "Holland's Got Talent". The series is hosted by Carson Daly and features the musician coaches working through the various phases of the competition with only the most talented vocalists. The show's second season will air mid-season Mondays, 8-10 p.m. (ET).

"The Voice" is a presentation of Mark Burnett's One Three Inc., Talpa Content USA, Inc. and Warner Horizon Television. The series is created by John de Mol, who executive-produces along with Burnett, Audrey Morrissey and Stijn Bakkers. Universal Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, is the U.S. label of recording and artist services for "The Voice." UMG and Talpa also work together in providing artist services to maximize the potential of the franchise and the finalists internationally.

For contestant blogs, embeddable clips and full episodes of "The Voice" please visit NBC.com's official show site: http://www.nbc.com/TheVoice.