Audio file processing to reduce latencies in play start times for cloud served audio files

A system for providing media guidance, the system comprising:

• a hardware processor that:
• receives a selection to playback a playlist on a client device, wherein the playlist represents an ordered arrangement of a song and one or more subsequent songs;
• transmits, to a cloud storage system, a request to retrieve an audio file corresponding to the song based on the received selection to playback the playlist;
• receives, from the cloud storage system to the client device, the audio file corresponding to the song;
• causes, using the client device, the audio file to begin playback;
• and
• while the audio file is being played back, causes one or more subsequent audio files corresponding to the one or more subsequent songs to be background downloaded from a server device that is different from the cloud storage system.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for providing media guidance, the method comprising:

• receiving a selection to playback a playlist on a client device, wherein the playlist represents an ordered arrangement of a song and one or more subsequent songs;
• transmitting, to a cloud storage system, a request to retrieve an audio file corresponding to the song based on the received selection to playback the playlist;
• receiving, from the cloud storage system to the client device, the audio file corresponding to the song;
• causing, using the client device, the audio file to begin playback;
• and
• while the audio file is being played back, causing one or more subsequent audio files corresponding to the one or more subsequent songs to be background downloaded from a server device that is different from the cloud storage system.