US20130325609A1

US20130325609A1 - Management of media content availability

Info

Publication number: US20130325609A1
Application number: US13/910,028
Authority: US
Inventors: Boris Sokolov; Karim Jouini; Guillaume Velez; Marie-Aurelie Nef; Eddy Cizeron; Julien Oudot; Patrice Melekian; Rob Keim
Original assignee: Microsoft Corp
Current assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
Priority date: 2012-06-04
Filing date: 2013-06-04
Publication date: 2013-12-05
Also published as: US20130325807A1; US20130326041A1; US20130325888A1; US9367883B2; US9235867B2

Abstract

Various embodiments relating to managing media content availability in a playlist are provided. In one embodiment a playlist including a plurality of media content items may be received. Media content items included in the playlist that are not accessible due to a lack of access rights may be identified as inaccessible media content items. For each inaccessible media content item, if a different version of that inaccessible media content item is available as an accessible media content item, that inaccessible media content item may be replaced with the accessible media content item in the playlist.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/655,406, filed Jun. 4, 2012 and entitled MULTI-SCREEN MEDIA DELIVERY, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

A shared list of items may be accessed by multiple different clients in different regions and across different markets. For example, clients may have subscriptions to consume various items, and may curate lists of items that may be shared with each other. Some subscriptions may have different access rights to access different items. In some cases, when a providing client shares a list of items with a receiving client, some items in the shared list may be inaccessible by the receiving client due to a lack of access rights (e.g., due to a different subscription, different access rights for a different market, etc.).

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
Various embodiments relating to managing media content availability in a playlist are provided. In one embodiment, a playlist including a plurality of media content items may be received. Media content items included in the playlist that are not accessible due to a lack of access rights may be identified as inaccessible media content items. For each inaccessible media content item, if a different version of that inaccessible media content item is available as an accessible media content item, that inaccessible media content item may be replaced with the accessible media content item in the playlist.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a computing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a method of managing media content availability in a playlist according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a computing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present description relates to managing availability of media content in shared playlists based on access rights that allow access to the media content. More particularly, the present description relates to managing availability of media content in shared playlists by replacing inaccessible media content with alternative media content that is accessible. For example, an inaccessible media content item may be replaced with a different version of the inaccessible media content item that may be available for consumption and may be accessible in accordance with a licensing regime that dictates the access rights. Moreover, if the different version of the inaccessible media content item is unavailable for consumption, other mitigation operations may be performed to provide a suitable alternative media content item in the playlist. By replacing an inaccessible media content item with an accessible media content item in a playlist, the playlist may be shared seamlessly without having missing media content items.
FIG. 1 shows a computing system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computing system 100 is configured to provide media content items 102 from one or more media content management service computing machines 104 (referred to herein as the ‘media content management service’) to a plurality of client computing machines 106 (referred to herein as the ‘clients’) over a network 108, such as the Internet. For example, the plurality of media content items may include at least one of audio content items or video content items. More particularly, the plurality of media content items may include songs, movies, television shows, games, and the like. Each of the plurality of clients may access media content items from the media content management service. It should be understood that virtually any number of different clients may access media content items from virtually any number of different media content management service computing machines without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Non-limiting examples of client computing machines may include desktop computers, laptop computers, smart phones, tablet computers, gaming consoles, set-top boxes, networked televisions, networked stereos, mobile devices, and any other suitable computing device.
The media content management service 104 may be configured to store, track, and allow access to media content items 102 across the plurality of clients 106. The media content management service 104 may include a catalog 110 that includes a plurality of media content items. In one example, the catalog includes all media content items that are offered by the media content management service according to licensing agreements the media content management service has with media content providers (e.g., music labels, movie studios, etc.). It is to be understood that although a media content item may be offered by the media content management service, that media content item may be inaccessible to some clients due to a lack of access rights that allow access to the media content item.
Each media content item 102 of the plurality of media content items may include an individualized content identifier 112 that identifies the media content item and allows retrieval of access rights for the media content item. The access rights for a media content item may define which clients may access the media content item. For example, the access rights for a media content item may be based on a client, an access mechanism (e.g., a subscription), a market, a region, a country, or another suitable access parameter. For example, a media content item may be inaccessible to a client, because the client does not own/rent/subscribe to that particular media content item. In another example, a media content item may be accessible in one market, but the same media content item may be inaccessible in another market. In some cases, different media content items may include the same content, but may be differentiated by different access rights, such as for different markets. In one example, the same song may be provided by one content provider in the United States and another content provider in France, and this same song may be entered twice in the catalog under different identifiers with different access rights. In some cases, the access rights may be defined by the media content management service. In some cases, the access rights may be defined by the content provider based on the licensing agreement for the media content item.
Such access rights may be implemented via digital license enforcement that utilizes cryptographic encryption. For example, a media content item may be cryptographically encrypted and associated with a particular license. Only particular users, domains (e.g., geographic domains), or other entities specified in the license may be provided with cryptographic keys capable of decrypting the encrypted media content item.
In some embodiments, the media content management service may be configured to establish relationships that identify all tracks that are considered identical in the catalog, but are from different content providers, have different access rights, and/or other licensing differences. Although these media content items are treated differently by the media content management service, the relationships allow these media content items to be linked and identified as the same media content from the perspective of the client. In other words, a media content item may be replaced by another related media content item without the client being able to perceive any difference.
The plurality of media content items included in the catalog may be accessible by a client through various access mechanisms that, in some cases, may be granted different access rights. For example, the plurality of media content items included in the catalog may be accessible by a client via at least one of free persistent download, purchased persistent download, subscription persistent download, subscription non-persistent download, or free non-persistent download. The free persistent download access rights may allow a client to persistently download a media content item for immediate playback or for playback at a later time as desired without any associated cost. The purchased persistent download access rights may allow a client to persistently download a media content item for immediate playback or for playback at a later time as desired upon paying an associated cost. In some cases, the purchased persistent download access rights may be a one-time purchase. The subscription persistent download access rights may allow a client to persistently download a media content item for immediate playback or for playback at a later time as long as the subscription is active. For example, a subscription may remain active as long as a client has opted into the subscription, paid any associated costs, etc. For persistent downloads, a media content item may remain stored on the client computing machine even after playback. In some cases, a persistent download may be temporary. For example, a media content item may be downloaded to a client for a subscription or rental period and upon expiration of the subscription, the media content item may be deleted. In other cases, the media content item may remain on the client after expiration of the subscription, and the media content item may become inaccessible (e.g., until the subscription is renewed).
The subscription non-persistent download access rights may allow a client to temporarily download a media content item for immediate playback (i.e., streaming) as long as the subscription is active. The free non-persistent download access rights may allow a client to temporarily download a media content item for immediate playback as desired without any associated cost. It is to be understood that the above described media content access mechanisms may have different access rights for different media content items. For example, in some cases, a media content item that may not be accessible via non-persistent download may be accessible via persistent download. It is to be understood that any suitable access mechanism may be employed to access a media content item without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
Various media content items 102 from the catalog 110 may be organized into playlists 114 that may be shared among clients. For example, the playlists may be ordered playlists of music tracks or music videos. In some instances, the playlists may include pointers that point to a storage location of media content items and the playlists may not actually include media data of the media content items in the playlists. For example, such storage locations may be local to the client, remotely located at the media content management service, or remotely located at another computing machine (e.g., via a remote URL). Typically, a playlist may include a subset of media content items from the catalog. For example, a playlist may include a client's entire personal collection of media content items. As another example, a playlist may include all songs performed by a particular artist. It is to be understood that a playlist may include any suitable combination of media content items. In some cases, a playlist may include a combination of persistently downloaded media content items and non-persistently downloaded media content items. In some cases, a playlist may be created by a client. In some cases, a playlist may be created by the media content management service, such as based on consumption characteristics of one or more clients.
The media content management service may be configured to manage media content availability in a playlist. For example, a providing client may indicate that they want to share a playlist with a receiving client, and the playlist may be sent to the media content management service to handle any issues with availability of media content items in the playlist before the playlist is passed on to the receiving client. In another example, the playlist may be sent directly from the providing client to the receiving client, and the receiving client may send the playlist to the media content management service to handle any issues, before the playlist of media content items may be consumed by the receiving client. In another example, a client may find a playlist, such as through a third-party website (e.g., music service, social network, etc.), and the playlist may be sent to the media content management service to handle any issues with availability of media content items in the playlist before the playlist is passed on to the client for consumption. In another example, a playlist may originate from outside of the media content management service ecosystem, and the playlist may be sent to the media content management service to handle any issues before the playlist of media content items may be consumed by a client. For example, a playlist may be received in a non-native format (e.g., a textual listing of songs), converted into a native format (e.g., a listing of media content item IDs), and processed as herein described.
In one example, the media content management service may be configured to receive a playlist including a plurality of media content items. The media content management service may be configured to identify, as inaccessible media content items, those media content items included in the playlist that are not accessible due to a lack of access rights. For example, the providing client and the receiving client may be located in different markets, and the inaccessible media content items may not be accessible in the market of the receiving client due to a lack of access rights for that market. As another example, the lack of access rights may be due to a particular access mechanism that the receiving client is using to access the media content items in the playlist. For example, a media content item may be inaccessible via non-persistent download. In some cases, a client may receive the media content bits or data, and the bits may be stored at the client. However, the media content item may not be accessed or consumed (e.g., decrypted) by the client due to a lack of access rights. The media content management service may be configured to for each inaccessible media content item, if a different version of that inaccessible media content item is available as an accessible media content item, replace that inaccessible media content item with the accessible media content item in the playlist.
If the different version of that inaccessible media content item is not available, the media content management service may be configured to replace that inaccessible media content item with another media content item or perform another mitigation operation. For example, the media content management service may be configured to replace that inaccessible media content item with an available media content item having a similarity association with that inaccessible media content item in the playlist. For example, the similarity association may include one of a different song by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a different video by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a song by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item, or a video by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item. It is to be understood that any suitable characteristic may be used to determine a similarity association between media content items without departing from this description.
In another example, if the different version of that inaccessible media content item is not available, the media content management service may be configured to replace that inaccessible media content item with a preview media content item that is a partial version of the inaccessible media content item. For example, if the inaccessible media content item is a complete song, then the preview media content items may include a partial sample (e.g., 30 seconds) of the song.
In another example, if the different version of the inaccessible media content item is not available, the media content management service may be configured to offer for purchase a persistent download of the inaccessible media content item that allows the inaccessible media content item to be accessed. For example, the client may be non-persistently downloading the playlist for consumption via a subscription, and the access rights of the inaccessible media content item may dictate that the media content item is inaccessible via subscription non-persistent download. However, the access rights of the media content item may dictate that the media content may be accessible via purchased persistent download. Thus, by purchasing the persistent download of the inaccessible media content item, the client may consume the media content item as part of the playlist. In some cases, the client may non-persistently download the bits of the inaccessible media content item, and the media content item may not be accessible (e.g., decrypted) by the client due to a lack of access rights.
The illustrated embodiment depicts an example scenario where a providing client 116 located in a market A creates a playlist 114, and shares the playlist with a receiving client 118 located in market B, which differs from market A. For example, market A may be the United States and market B may be France. The playlist includes a plurality of media content items, and each media content item has access rights that define in which markets that media content item is accessible. Some of the media content items in the playlist are not accessible in market B due to a lack of access rights for market B. However, each media content item included in the playlist may be accessible in market A, in which the playlist was curated by the providing client.
The media content management service may receive the playlist from the providing client. The media content management service may identify inaccessible media content items in the playlist. For example, the media content management service may use the individualized content identifiers of the media content items to retrieve the access rights for the media content items, and check the access rights against market B to determine which media content items in the playlist are inaccessible in market B. Furthermore, the media content management service may determine which access mechanism the receiving client is using to consume the playlist, and check the access rights against the access mechanism to determine which media content items are inaccessible via that access mechanism.
For each inaccessible media content item, if a different version of that inaccessible media content item that has access rights for market B is available, the media content management service replaces that inaccessible media content item with the accessible media content item in the playlist. If a different version of that inaccessible media content item that has access rights for market B is unavailable, the media content management service performs a mitigation operation to replace the inaccessible media content item or make the inaccessible media content item accessible. Once all of the inaccessible media content items in the playlist are accounted for, the media content management service sends or otherwise makes available the playlist to the receiving client computing machine.
Accordingly, the receiving client may consume the playlist in the same or similar form in which it was curated by the providing client without any media content items missing from the playlist. By building support for social playlists in an international ecosystem, the media content management service appropriately handles the different availability rights offered to users in different markets for the same content. This system provides users with the most appropriate content for their market when they consume a social playlist that includes content from another market.
FIG. 2 shows a method 200 of managing media content availability in a playlist according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the method 200 may be performed by the media content management service computing machine 104 shown in FIG. 1.
At 202, the method 200 may include receiving a playlist including a plurality of media content items. The playlist may be received via a computer network, such as computer network 108 of FIG. 1. The playlist may be a machine-readable data item that is not easily readable by a human without the assistance of a computing system.
At 204, the method 200 may include identifying, as inaccessible media content items, those media content items included in the playlist that are not accessible due to a lack of access rights. Such identifications may be performed using computer comparison algorithms that allow a particular content item to be almost instantaneously compared to all media content items in the catalog.
In some embodiments, once an inaccessible media content item has been identified, the inaccessible media content item may be mitigated individually. Each inaccessible media content item may be mitigated until all inaccessible media content items have been mitigated.
Continuing with the method 200, a first inaccessible media content item may be mitigated. In particular, at 206, the method 200 may include determining whether a different version of the inaccessible media content item is available as an accessible media content item. For example, a different version of the inaccessible media content item may include a media content item that includes the same media content (e.g., the same version of a song), but has different access rights that allow the different version of the media content item to be accessed. If a different version of that inaccessible media content item is available as an accessible media content item, the method 200 moves to 208. Otherwise the method 200 moves to 210.
At 208, the method 200 may include replacing that inaccessible media content item with the accessible media content item in the playlist.
If a different version of the inaccessible media content item is not available, then the method 200 may perform a mitigation operation to replace or otherwise address the inaccessible media content item. In some embodiments, at 210, the method 200 may include replacing the inaccessible media content item with an available media content item that is thought to provide a reasonable substitute for the inaccessible media content item. For example, a particular song from a particular artist that is not accessible may be replaced by another song from the same artist that is accessible. The replacement media content item may be selected based on a similarity association with the inaccessible media content item in the playlist. For example, the similarity association may include one of a different song by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a different video by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a song by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item, or a video by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item.
In some embodiments, at 212, the method 200 may include replacing the inaccessible media content item with a preview media content item that is a partial version of the inaccessible media content item.
In some embodiments, at 214, the method 200 may include offering for purchase a persistent download of the inaccessible media content item that allows the inaccessible media content item to be accessed.
It is to be understood that some or all of the above described mitigation operations may be included in the method without departing from this disclosure.
At 216, the method 200 may include determining whether all inaccessible media content items in the playlist have been replaced or otherwise mitigated. If all inaccessible media content items in the playlist have been replaced or otherwise mitigated, then the method 200 returns to other operations. If not all inaccessible media content items in the playlist have been replaced or otherwise mitigated, then the method 200 moves to 218.
At 218, the method 200 may includes moving to a next inaccessible media content item in the playlist to continue the mitigation process. In particular, the method 200 returns to 206.
By replacing inaccessible media content in a playlist with different versions of the inaccessible content that are accessible, the playlist may be consumed in the form in which it was curated without any media content items missing from the playlist. Moreover, by performing other mitigation operations to replace inaccessible media content in the playlist if a different version is not available, the playlist may be modified to include media content that is most appropriate for consumption without merely removing inaccessible content.
FIG. 3 schematically shows a non-limiting embodiment of a computing system 300 that can enact one or more of the methods and processes described above. For example, computing system 300 may be representative of the media content management service computing machine 104, or the plurality of client computing machines 106 shown in FIG. 1. Computing system 300 is shown in simplified form. Computing system 300 may take the form of one or more personal computers, server computers, tablet computers, home-entertainment computers, network computing devices, gaming devices, mobile computing devices, mobile communication devices (e.g., smart phone), and/or other computing devices.
Computing system 300 includes a logic machine 302 and a storage machine 304. Computing system 300 may optionally include a display subsystem 306, input subsystem 308, communication subsystem 310, and/or other components not shown in FIG. 3.
Logic machine 302 includes one or more physical devices configured to execute instructions. For example, the logic machine may be configured to execute instructions that are part of one or more applications, services, programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or other logical constructs. Such instructions may be implemented to perform a task, implement a data type, transform the state of one or more components, achieve a technical effect, or otherwise arrive at a desired result.
The logic machine may include one or more processors configured to execute software instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the logic machine may include one or more hardware or firmware logic machines configured to execute hardware or firmware instructions. Processors of the logic machine may be single-core or multi-core, and the instructions executed thereon may be configured for sequential, parallel, and/or distributed processing. Individual components of the logic machine optionally may be distributed among two or more separate devices, which may be remotely located and/or configured for coordinated processing. Aspects of the logic machine may be virtualized and executed by remotely accessible, networked computing devices configured in a cloud-computing configuration.
Storage machine 304 includes one or more physical devices configured to hold instructions executable by the logic machine to implement the methods and processes described herein. When such methods and processes are implemented, the state of storage machine 304 may be transformed—e.g., to hold different data.
Storage machine 304 may include removable and/or built-in devices. Storage machine 304 may include optical memory (e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, etc.), semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), and/or magnetic memory (e.g., hard-disk drive, floppy-disk drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), among others. Storage machine 304 may include volatile, nonvolatile, dynamic, static, read/write, read-only, random-access, sequential-access, location-addressable, file-addressable, and/or content-addressable devices.
It will be appreciated that storage machine 304 includes one or more physical devices. However, aspects of the instructions described herein alternatively may be propagated by a communication medium (e.g., an electromagnetic signal, an optical signal, etc.) that is not held by a physical device for a finite duration.
Aspects of logic machine 302 and storage machine 304 may be integrated together into one or more hardware-logic components. Such hardware-logic components may include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), program- and application-specific integrated circuits (PASIC/ASICs), program- and application-specific standard products (PSSP/ASSPs), system-on-a-chip (SOC), and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), for example.
It will be appreciated that a “service”, as used herein, is an application program executable across multiple user sessions. A service may be available to one or more system components, programs, and/or other services. In some implementations, a service may run on one or more server-computing devices.
When included, display subsystem 306 may be used to present a visual representation of data held by storage machine 304. This visual representation may take the form of a graphical user interface (GUI). As the herein described methods and processes change the data held by the storage machine, and thus transform the state of the storage machine, the state of display subsystem 306 may likewise be transformed to visually represent changes in the underlying data. Display subsystem 306 may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. Such display devices may be combined with logic machine 302 and/or storage machine 304 in a shared enclosure, or such display devices may be peripheral display devices.
When included, input subsystem 308 may comprise or interface with one or more user-input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or game controller. In some embodiments, the input subsystem may comprise or interface with selected natural user input (NUI) componentry. Such componentry may be integrated or peripheral, and the transduction and/or processing of input actions may be handled on- or off-board. Example NUI componentry may include a microphone for speech and/or voice recognition; an infrared, color, stereoscopic, and/or depth camera for machine vision and/or gesture recognition; a head tracker, eye tracker, accelerometer, and/or gyroscope for motion detection and/or intent recognition; as well as electric-field sensing componentry for assessing brain activity.
When included, communication subsystem 310 may be configured to communicatively couple computing system 300 with one or more other computing devices. Communication subsystem 310 may include wired and/or wireless communication devices compatible with one or more different communication protocols. As non-limiting examples, the communication subsystem may be configured for communication via a wireless telephone network, or a wired or wireless local- or wide-area network. In some embodiments, the communication subsystem may allow computing system 300 to send and/or receive messages to and/or from other devices via a network such as the Internet.
It will be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. As such, various acts illustrated and/or described may be performed in the sequence illustrated and/or described, in other sequences, in parallel, or omitted. Likewise, the order of the above-described processes may be changed.
The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A method of managing media content availability in a playlist, the method comprising:

receiving a playlist including a plurality of media content items;

identifying, as inaccessible media content items, those media content items included in the playlist that are not accessible due to a lack of access rights; and

for each inaccessible media content item, if a different version of that inaccessible media content item is available as an accessible media content item, replacing that inaccessible media content item with the accessible media content item in the playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inaccessible media content items are not accessible in a market due to a lack of access rights for the market.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the different version of that inaccessible media content item is not available, replacing that inaccessible media content item with an available media content item having a similarity association with that inaccessible media content item in the playlist.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the similarity association includes one of a different song by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a different video by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a song by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item, or a video by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the different version of that inaccessible media content item is not available, replacing that inaccessible media content item with a preview media content item that is a partial version of that inaccessible media content item.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the different version of the inaccessible media content item is not available, offering for purchase a persistent download of that inaccessible media content item that allows that inaccessible media content item to be accessed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media content items are accessible via at least one of purchased persistent download, subscription persistent download, subscription non-persistent download, or free non-persistent download.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each media content item of the plurality of media content items include an individualized content identifier that identifies that media content item and allows retrieval of access rights for that media content item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media content items include at least one of audio content items or video content items.

10. A method of managing media content availability in a playlist shared across different markets, the method comprising:

receiving a playlist including a plurality of media content items, each media content item having access rights that define in which markets that media content item is accessible;

identifying, as inaccessible media content items, those media content items included in the playlist that are not accessible in a market due to a lack of access rights for the market; and

for each inaccessible media content item, if a different version of that inaccessible media content item that has access rights for the market is available as an accessible media content item, replacing that inaccessible media content item with the accessible media content item in the playlist.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

if the different version of that inaccessible media content item is not available, replacing that inaccessible media content item with an available media content item having a similarity association with that inaccessible media content item.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the similarity association includes one of a different song by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a different video by an artist of the inaccessible media content item, a song by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item, or a video by a different artist that is similar to an artist of the inaccessible media content item.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

if the different version of the inaccessible media content item is not available, replacing that inaccessible media content item with a preview media content item that is a partial version of that inaccessible media content item.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

15. The method of claim 10, wherein each media content item included in the playlist is accessible in a different market from which the playlist was sent.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein each media content item of the plurality of media content items include an individualized content identifier that identifies that media content item and allows retrieval of access rights for that media content item.

17. A method of managing media content availability in a playlist shared across different markets, the method comprising:

identifying, as inaccessible media content items, those media content items included in the playlist that cannot be non-persistently downloaded in a market due to a lack of non-persistent download rights for the market;

for each inaccessible media content item, if a different version of that inaccessible media content item that has non-persistent download rights for the market is available for non-persistent download as an accessible media content item, replacing that inaccessible media content item with the accessible media content item in the playlist; and

if the different version of that inaccessible media content item is not available for non-persistent download, offering for purchase a persistent download of the inaccessible media content item that allows that inaccessible media content item to be accessed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each media content item included in the playlist is accessible via non-persistent download in a different market from which the playlist was sent.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein each media content item of the plurality of media content items include an individualized content identifier that identifies that media content item and allows retrieval of the access rights for that media content item.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of media content items include at least one of an audio content item or a video content item.