NPD Research released its list of top music retailers in the country, and iTunes' place on the list generated by far the most news. The top four spots went unchanged from the same quarter last year. FYE rose to fifth from tenth but didn't attract nearly the attention that iTunes did for jumping from 14th to seventh, and NPD expects "a rising Apple share for the holidays." Sam Goody, tied for fifth last year, was at #9 this year. Tower, with all of its financial hardships it has gone through, slipped only to seventh from eighth.

Here's the top ten:

1. Wal-Mart
2. Best Buy
3. Target
4. Amazon.com
5. FYE
6. Circuit City
7. iTunes
8. Tower Records
9. Sam Goody
10. Borders

[music jobs] Director of Content at Dada Entertainment; New York, NY.