Verve Music Group Joins With 20th Century Fox Television to Release Music of NBC's New Series, "The Playboy Club" Exclusively on the iTunes Store

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verve Music Group, a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), partners with 20th Century Fox Television to bring an unprecedented music component to the new 1960s-centric, Chicago-based NBC television series "The Playboy Club," in which the star-powered music performances featured on the show will be available on iTunes. "The Playboy Club" will premiere tonight, September 19th, 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) / 9:00 p.m. (C) on the NBC television network. (Please check local listings.)

Each episode of "The Playboy Club" will include multiple performances, by both the show's cast (spotlighting the key club's 'Bunny' hostesses) as well as today's major artists paying tribute to '60s music icons who performed at the Club. The first two performances to be available on iTunes from the premiere episode will be:

*** "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)," the Frank Sinatra classic as performed by Laura Benanti as 'Bunny' Carol-Lynne; ***

*** "Shake A Tail Feather," originally made famous by Ike & Tina Turner, performed by the Playboy Club special guest Karen LeBlanc ***

Future guest star appearances include Universal Republic artist Colbie Caillat, Universal Republic's Javier Colon (2011 winner of NBC's "The Voice") and Raphael Saadiq. Tributes will be paid to Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Leslie Gore and others. The tracks are being produced by Mike Fratantuno, Terrance Graves and Brian Lapin, collectively known as The Transcenders, and cast vocals are being produced in Chicago by Grammy award-winning producer/artist/composer Richard Marx.

"From the very beginning, it was always part of the creators' vision to incorporate musical performances into the storytelling of 'The Playboy Club,' and we are proud to partner with Verve to make the songs from the show available for download," commented TCFTV Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden. "As we've seen with 'Glee,' music downloads can be a powerful connection for fans to deepen their enjoyment of the series beyond its weekly telecast, and a great opportunity for us to expose the series to an even larger audience."

"The Playboy Club" was the upscale watering hole for the elite Who's Who of entertainment, politics, business, and all the happenings of the '60s. The series provides a tantalizing backstage peek into this fascinating world. "The Playboy Club" focuses on the aspiring singers and performers who wore the 'Bunny' costumes and also served as waitresses and entertainers at the club. Along with the show's dramatic turn of events each week, issues of race relations, religion, sexual orientation, freedom of speech and freedom of the press – and more – are woven into the fabric of "The Playboy Club." A symbol of success and the pinnacle of entertainment in the swinging '60s, "The Playboy Club" comes back to life on NBC in 2011.

SOURCE Island Def Jam Music Group