Equating 12 single-track downloads with a physical CD, research company NPD figured that Apple's iTMS (presumably the American division, but perhaps adding up international sales also) sold more music than Borders or Tower, but not more than Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Amazon, or a few others. Virtual sales account for the total music pie in low single digits only, and this is the first time iTMS has cracked the top-ten retail list. This metric seems a little anachronicstic, new though it is. How are subscription services measured into the mix? And if the forecasts are true, by the time single-track downloads make up double-digits of total sales, the a-la-carte format will be waning.
