Abstract: Systems and methods for permitting consumers to securely purchase, access, download and/or stream entertainment content such as musical and audio visual works, including a remote terminal or terminals. Consumers subscribe to the system and obtain a terminal or terminals. The terminals permit the subscribers to access the system to obtain content, either by downloading same to the terminal or by directly perceiving the content while streaming the content to the terminal. The invention prevents unauthorized copying, distribution and/or performance of protected works while at the same time eliminating the need for consumers to possess the tangible objects, e.g. CDS and DVDs, upon which detectable works normally reside. The software associated with the system regulates the transmission of content from the database(s) upon which it is stored, through a central server associated with the system, to the subscriber terminals for storage or immediate, i.e., “streaming”, playback.

Abstract: Systems and methods for permitting consumers to securely purchase, access, download and/or stream entertainment content such as musical and audio visual works, including a remote terminal or terminals. Consumers subscribe to the system and obtain a terminal or terminals. The terminals permit the subscribers to access the system to obtain content, either by downloading same to the terminal or by directly perceiving the content while streaming the content to the terminal. The invention prevents unauthorized copying, distribution and/or performance of protected works while at the same time eliminating the need for consumers to possess the tangible objects, e.g. CDS and DVDs, upon which detectable works normally reside. The software associated with the system regulates the transmission of content from the database(s) upon which it is stored, through a central server associated with the system, to the subscriber terminals for storage or immediate, i.e., “streaming”, playback.