A system comprising: a cost-constrained resource comprising at least one layer or channel wherein the cost-constrained resource is a portable media device; a plurality of resource consumers (210,215) that request access to the cost-constrained resource, where each of the plurality of resource consumers provides a value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for access to the cost-constrained resource; and a concurrency arbitrator adapted to: determine a need for access to the cost-constrained resource for each resource consumer requesting access to the cost-constrained resource, where the need for access to the cost-constrained resource corresponds to the value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource provided by each of the plurality of resource consumers; grant access by a resource consumer to the cost-constrained resource by applying logical rules to: the determined need for access to the cost-constrained resource; and a cost of allowing one or more of the resource consumers access to the cost-constrained resource, wherein the cost is indicative of at least one operational characteristic of the resource consumer; and control a rate of data output from the cost-constrained resource to the plurality of resource consumers based on data throughput requirements of the plurality of resource consumers; where the values corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource of each resource consumer are normalized with respect to one another and are quantized to determine quantization values; wherein the concurrency arbitrator executes a hysteresis operation on a normalized value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource received from a resource consumer to thereby reduce a frequency with which the concurrency arbitrator responds to changes in the value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource provided by the resource consumer to the concurrency arbitrator. a cost-constrained resource comprising at least one layer or channel wherein the cost-constrained resource is a portable media device; a plurality of resource consumers (210,215) that request access to the cost-constrained resource, where each of the plurality of resource consumers provides a value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for access to the cost-constrained resource; and a concurrency arbitrator adapted to: determine a need for access to the cost-constrained resource for each resource consumer requesting access to the cost-constrained resource, where the need for access to the cost-constrained resource corresponds to the value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource provided by each of the plurality of resource consumers; grant access by a resource consumer to the cost-constrained resource by applying logical rules to: the determined need for access to the cost-constrained resource; and a cost of allowing one or more of the resource consumers access to the cost-constrained resource, wherein the cost is indicative of at least one operational characteristic of the resource consumer; and control a rate of data output from the cost-constrained resource to the plurality of resource consumers based on data throughput requirements of the plurality of resource consumers; determine a need for access to the cost-constrained resource for each resource consumer requesting access to the cost-constrained resource, where the need for access to the cost-constrained resource corresponds to the value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource provided by each of the plurality of resource consumers; grant access by a resource consumer to the cost-constrained resource by applying logical rules to: the determined need for access to the cost-constrained resource; and a cost of allowing one or more of the resource consumers access to the cost-constrained resource, wherein the cost is indicative of at least one operational characteristic of the resource consumer; and the determined need for access to the cost-constrained resource; and a cost of allowing one or more of the resource consumers access to the cost-constrained resource, wherein the cost is indicative of at least one operational characteristic of the resource consumer; and control a rate of data output from the cost-constrained resource to the plurality of resource consumers based on data throughput requirements of the plurality of resource consumers; where the values corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource of each resource consumer are normalized with respect to one another and are quantized to determine quantization values; wherein the concurrency arbitrator executes a hysteresis operation on a normalized value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource received from a resource consumer to thereby reduce a frequency with which the concurrency arbitrator responds to changes in the value corresponding to a degree of need by the resource consumer for the cost-constrained resource provided by the resource consumer to the concurrency arbitrator.