Patent ID: 6868403

Claim:
A computer-implemented online music distribution system for distributing digital media data files, including audio data, over a public communications network, comprising: a content manager that transmits validation data uniquely associated with a purchase of a selected one of the media data files and a network address of a delivery server to deliver the selected media data file to a client computer system including a media player for playing back the audio data of the selected media data file; the media player, storing encryption data assigned specifically to the media player, that receives the validation data from the content manager, and transmits the validation data to the delivery server specified by the network address in the validation data; and the delivery server that verifies the validation data received from the media player using the content manager and receives the selected media data file from the content manager and securely transmits the selected media data file to the media player, wherein the selected media data file includes the audio data of the selected media data file encrypted using the encryption data of the media player, the media player adapted to decrypt the audio data of the selected media data file using the encryption data, and playback resulting decrypted audio data.