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.

Billboard reports today that Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has urged Australian and Chinese fans to steal his music, due to the high cost of obtaining the band's newest album in those regions. Apparently, the Year Zero album costs the equivalent of $30 in Australia. Reznor urges fans to buy internet downloads and simply share them among friends.

This is not the first report about the feelings Reznor has had about his record label, Universal Music Group, and the pricing of Year Zero in Australia, but it is the first instance of the artist urging fans to illegally obtain the album. Incidentally, Reznor is not the first artist to advocate the piracy of music. Undoubtedly, Universal is unhappy about the situation, but Billboard does not offer any counterpoint. Late last month, Universal and NBC pulled their television shows from Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes Store because negotiations about pricing fell through. Universal Music's negotiations with iTunes fell apart in July, without the renewal of a one-year contract and the introduction of ad hoc availability for UMG music.

The Reznor/NIN situation highlights that the perceptions that record labels can successfully dictate prices are entirely accurate. The key word is successfully there, so keep that in mind, because Reznor may be an isolated case, but you can be sure that he is not. At the same time that Universal is struggling to control prices, iTunes apparent low prices are coming under attack by new digital stores like the one from Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), which beats iTunes by about $.11 on single track downloads. Just imagine what might happen when the new Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) digital store becomes operational later in the year...