Abstract: Systems and methods presented herein may allow a sending user to collaboratively share media content with recipients such that each recipient may control media playback, and the controls effect the playback experienced by the other recipients. The net result is a shared media player. The recipients may all execute a common client software on their computing devices that causes the computing devices to stream the media from a content provider but route playback control selections to a server that then transmits the selections to the other recipients in real time.