Architecture for distributed sending of media data

One or more processor-accessible storage media encoded with processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a system to perform actions comprising:

• transmitting a send request from a first device to a second device, the send request designating a destination client and stipulating a media data portion;
• ranking the send request based on an associated unique priority of the send request, wherein the associated unique priority is calculated by determining whether a plurality of devices store the media data portion, and wherein the associated unique priority is set to a lower priority if there is more than one device that stores the media data portion, and wherein the priority is set to a higher priority if there is only a single device that stores the media data portion, and wherein if none of the plurality of devices that store the media data portion would send the media data portion if all of the plurality of devices that store the media data portion were considered when calculating the priority, then selecting a single device from the plurality of devices that store the media data portion and calculating the priority based on the selected single device;
• ascertaining a threshold priority based on the ranking and responsive to a send bandwidth;
• and in response to determining that the associated unique priority of the send request is greater than the threshold priority, honoring the send request by sending from the second device to the destination client the stipulated media data portion in response to the send request, wherein the first device is not the destination client.