How can I prevent users from downloading MP3s directly

Question

I\'m building a web-radio like service, in which the user authenticates to the services, gets a cookie and a Flash-based app plays mp3s from the server. The server only deli

Answer 1

You might use RTMP instead of HTTP to deliver audio data. RTMP is meant to be used for streaming audio, video and misc data. It streams just data rather than a file. It's not 100% safe, because if something gets to client (browser, flash player, whatever), user can save it, but it's still better than giving a file via HTTP.

You will need a server that supports RTMP though, e.g., Flash Media Server (FMS), Wowza or Red5.