Industrial progressive rock band Nine Inch Nails' most recent album The Slip will be available in physical formats on July 22, Billboard reported Wednesday. First reported on May 5, the album is the band's third album in a little over a year and the second since leaving music company Universal Music Group. Unlike other physical releases though, a CD version will be limited to 200,000 copies in the United States, Canada and Japan, while a later vinyl version will be unlimited. Band leader Trent Reznor also told Billboard the album "will remain free to download 'indefinitely' from the band's site."

The availability of a vinyl copy of The Slip versus that of the CD version mirrors similar sentiments that I commented about yesterday. Music company EMI packaged the vinyl version of Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends with a CD version, indicating that despite vinyl's allure, the industry is aware that listeners want versions that can be transferred to portable devices.

NIN leader Trent Reznor was obviously aware of this desire from his fans, since the album will feature an unlimited release for the vinyl version. It could also indicate his own preference, which would not be surprising. Either way, when The Slip is released physically, consumers and listeners will still have the option to download the album for free if they decide to buy a physical copy, whether it's the limited CD or the unlimited vinyl. Numerous formats may seem tedious, but if the experience is part of the joy of listening to music then it is being accommodated.

Over the weekend, Trent Reznor -- the brains behind Nine Inch Nails -- released his latest creation, Ghosts I-IV, over the internet. The first nine songs of the 36-song album (nearly 150 minutes in length) are available for free, and there are a number of other options for those willing to pay for the latest from the Pretty Hate Machine artist. For $5, for example, you can download the full album, which comes with a 40-page PDF and "digital extras."

There are other purchase options as well, the highest-tier of which is a $300 "Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition Package," which includes: high-quality downloads, two CDs, a data DVD, a Blu-ray high-definition DVD, and assorted extras. And? It's signed by Mr. Reznor himself. Available to the first 2,500 buyers only, the $300 package sold out in two days. This represents a gross of three quarters of a million dollars in just 48 hours, and that doesn't even account for the other, more affordable packages that fans have likely snatched up.

This was Reznor's second foray into the cyber-release of his music. Last November 1, he posted a collaboration album with Saul Williams for free on the Internet. Those desiring a higher-quality format could donate $5.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

A week after English band Radiohead opened the shop for its self-released seventh album In Rainbows, Billboard reported yesterday that the band Nine Inch Nails is now celebrating status as a "free agent" as well. Since May, Trent Reznor, the band's front man, has been in a very open dispute about album pricing with Interscope Records, a division of Universal Music Group. Last month, that dispute flared up with Reznor telling fans in Australia and China to steal the album versus paying the high costs to obtain a copy.

According to Billboard, Reznor is very happy "to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate." This is similar to the situation Radiohead has presented to fans, allowing them to set their own price to download In Rainbows. A physical "discbox" sells at a set price around $82, but that physical set comes filled with much more than the standard album. Reznor had questioned the label for charging fans in Australia and China higher prices than in the United States and other regions. The Radiohead price is one set by the band, not the label. The question of high prices still remains though.

Unfortunately, while both of these cases present fans and listeners with improved "relations" it comes from artists that have achieved success and enjoy large and faithful fan bases. What happens to new artists that emerge and find a record industry unwilling to allow them to learn from these informative examples? Will the record industry allow an artist to build a fan base while maintaining the autonomy they wish? Will they be embraced by a record industry open to new ideas, or one that finds new ways to cash in - like taking shares of touring profits, for one?