In the realm of networked multimedia there currently exist applications with which people can share audio, video, drawings, and collaboratively browse the web. Musicians, however, currently have no method of networked collaboration. Digital music requires tight synchronization of a different sort than is used in audio and video.
Digital music sends very small packets of performance-critical data.
Errors in timing and synchronization are much more obvious to the listener than are errors in digital audio playback. Buffering and excessive delay are unacceptable methods of compensating for network irregularities because of the timing constraints imposed by correct playback criteria. The delay between actuation and instrumentation needs to remain constant in order for a musician to correctly play. Variable delays introduced by buffering or network jitter are unacceptable. Other techniques used for synchronizing multimedia streams, such as resynchronizing between 'talk spurts' are inappropriate because digital music lacks clearly definable bursts.