The latest Ipsos-Insight study into downloading and online music-purchasing behavior indicates that a-la-carte track buying (iTMS, for the most part) is preferred to subscription acdess to music (Napster, Rhapsody, and eMusic for the most part). Of course, saying that iTMS is popular hardly constitutes news. Studies like this servet to track the gradual migration from a-la-carte to subscription widely predicted by most forecasting agencies—for whatever that's worth. General intelligence on this point holds that subscriptions offer better consumer value, and represent a more durable business model for providers. POrtability is one issue, and the penetration of iPods into the market naturally gives the iTMS quite a bit of traction. A reference to Napster To Go was bundled into the study's survey, and it got clobbered by a preference to buy portable music instead of renting it. While I often complain of Napster's pricing of portable music, there's no question that it's a better deal than plucking pricey single tracks from iTMS. When the supremacy of the iPod begins fading, we might see non-Apple online services gaining a foothold in the consumer imagination.