I'm not very tech-savvy, but I'm curious if it's possible to build an on-demand MP3 streaming service that operates using a torrent network, assuming that the torrents are active and healthy. My motivation for this question is that I want to create a free service for a community I'm involved with, which is primarily centered around video game music remixes. Torrents could help decentralize the hosting costs instead of relying on a traditional paywall. My vision involves developing a client that can download MP3 files for streaming while also seeding to contribute back to the network. I know there are existing tools like Seedbox Lite that seem to achieve this for video. Could anyone with expertise in torrents suggest what a suitable tech stack might be? Is it feasible to maintain low latency? And would anyone be interested in collaborating on this project? Thanks in advance!
3 Answers
In theory, it's possible, but I suspect you'll need some extra features to make it really functional. Just be careful, as implementing torrents for music can lead to your project facing some serious obstacles, especially regarding user experience and legal hurdles. It's not the traditional route, and I'm not sure it would be worth the trouble in the long run.
While it's an interesting idea, torrenting isn't really set up for streaming. Torrents download files in chunks from different sources, which makes it quite different from linear streaming. If you want to create a client to stream MP3s, you'd essentially have to handle the downloading and buffering effectively. It's tricky and may lead to a frustrating user experience unless you have a solid system in place.
It could technically work with enough buffering! You'd need to find a way to get segments of the track quickly, maybe by breaking each song into smaller parts—like 10-second chunks. This could help the client grab the next needed chunks more efficiently and even help with minimizing latency.
Yeah, if you can pre-buffer and get a good queue going, it might provide a decent experience. Just keep in mind the potential user experience issues.
Exactly! Plus, managing the rights for the music can get complicated. You might want to think about those legal issues before diving too deep into development.