Members of a Melissa Etheridge [ tickets ] fan club will be rewarded with the first crack at tickets for an extensive world tour in support of her upcoming UNI/Island album "Breakdown". The first leg of the tour, which will play the small theater circuit, gets underway Oct. 9 at Orlando's Hard Rock Cafe.

Tour details were released on Monday (8/23) via the Melissa Etheridge Information Network web site (www.melissaetheridge.com).

According to M.E.I.N., preferred tickets will be sold in five phases. The first phase, which will cover the tour's first nine dates, go on sale to M.E.I.N. members through its hotline on Aug. 30 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, and will be available through Sept. 3 or until preferred tickets sell out. Further details are available through the web site, or by calling the M.E.I.N hotline at (415) 575-6655. Remaining tickets will be sold through traditional outlets, but on sale dates so far haven't been announced.

''Breakdown,'' which is due in stores on Oct. 5, will be the first new album from Etheridge in nearly four years. Three unique versions of the album will be released simultaneously, giving fans plenty of new material and artwork to contemplate.

The core release will feature 11 new Etheridge songs. A limited edition version, which will be made available exclusively on a ''pre-order'' basis, will include different artwork and three additional b-sides taken from the ''Breakdown'' sessions. Finally, a 12'' vinyl version of ''Breakdown,'' which will contain 10 separate art cards, is also being prepared for release on Oct. 5. That package will feature a 7'' vinyl single that will include a bonus B-side.

In addition, a CD maxi single is set for release on Aug. 31. It will contain the album's first single, ''Angels Would Fall,'' and two additional tracks.