Synchronized playback and control of media

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform a method, the method comprising, at a first one of member devices that form a group:

• maintaining a member list of the member devices of the group, wherein the group comprises devices that join an ad hoc group;
• maintaining a queue of media content including at least one track for distribution to the member devices;
• receiving a command from another one of the member devices;
• updating the queue based on the command,
• determining a master clock from amongst a plurality of clock sources available to the member devices;
• and
• distributing updates to the queue and an anchor time of the at least one track to other member devices such that the received command is performed substantially simultaneously at each member device and based on the master clock, wherein the anchor time is relative to the master clock.

A device comprising:

• a memory device to store a member list identifying another connected device as a member of a group and a queue identifying at least one track for synchronized playback among devices, wherein the group comprises the devices that join an ad hoc group, and
• a processor configured, according to a role of the device when the device has the role of a master device, to cause the device to:
• receive a command to manipulate the queue of media content from a non-master device;
• update the queue based on the command;
• distribute updates to the queue to the other connected device;
• determining a master clock from amongst a plurality of clocks available to the devices;
• and
• synchronize a performance of the received command at each device with the most accurate clock wherein the adjusting playback is based on an anchor time of the track relative to a shared global time of the master clock.

A method for synchronizing a digital audio stream for member devices of a group, the method comprising, at a first one of the member devices that form the group:

• maintaining a member list of the member devices of the group, wherein the group comprises devices that join on the basis of requests among the devices;
• maintaining a queue of media content including at least one track for distribution to the member devices;
• receiving a command from another one of the member devices;
• updating the queue based on the command,
• determining a master clock from amongst a plurality of clock sources available to the member devices;
• and
• distributing updates to the queue to other member devices;
• and
• synchronizing performance of the received command at each member device based on the updates, the master clock, and an anchor time of the at least one track relative to a shared global time of the master clock.