diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/PopupJamTrackPlayer.js.jsx.coffee b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/PopupJamTrackPlayer.js.jsx.coffee
index 4687320f3..7229934e6 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/PopupJamTrackPlayer.js.jsx.coffee
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/PopupJamTrackPlayer.js.jsx.coffee
@@ -75,14 +75,8 @@ mixins.push(Reflux.listenTo(JamTrackPlayerStore, 'onJamTrackPlayerStoreChanged')
       disabled = true
       if selectedMixdown.client_state?
         switch selectedMixdown.client_state
-          when 'cant_open'
-            customMixName = `<h5>{selectedMixdown.name}<img src="/assets/content/icon-mix-fail@2X.png" /></h5>`
-          when 'keying_timeout'
-            customMixName = `<h5>{selectedMixdown.name}<img src="/assets/content/icon-mix-fail@2X.png" /></h5>`
           when 'download_fail'
             customMixName = `<h5>{selectedMixdown.name}<img src="/assets/content/icon-mix-fail@2X.png" /></h5>`
-          when 'keying'
-            customMixName = `<h5>Loading selected mix... <img src="/assets/shared/spinner.gif" /></h5>`
           when 'downloading'
             customMixName = `<h5>Loading selected mix... <img src="/assets/shared/spinner.gif" /></h5>`
           when 'ready'
@@ -110,6 +104,8 @@ mixins.push(Reflux.listenTo(JamTrackPlayerStore, 'onJamTrackPlayerStoreChanged')
         switch selectedStem.client_state
           when 'downloading'
             customMixName = `<h5>Loading {trackName}... <img src="/assets/shared/spinner.gif" /></h5>`
+          when 'download_fail'
+            customMixName = `<h5>{trackName}<img src="/assets/content/icon-mix-fail@2X.png" /></h5>`
           when 'ready'
             customMixName = `<h5>{trackName}</h5>`
             disabled = false
@@ -119,6 +115,8 @@ mixins.push(Reflux.listenTo(JamTrackPlayerStore, 'onJamTrackPlayerStoreChanged')
     else
       if jamTrack?.client_state == 'downloading'
         downloader = `<img src="/assets/shared/spinner.gif" />`
+      else if jamTrack?.client_state == 'download_fail'
+        downloader = `<img src="/assets/content/icon-mix-fail@2X.png" />`
 
       jamTrackTypeHeader = `<span>Full JamTrack {downloader}</span>`
 
diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/BrowserMediaStore.js.coffee b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/BrowserMediaStore.js.coffee
index 0eec9aaa0..a443fd289 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/BrowserMediaStore.js.coffee
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/BrowserMediaStore.js.coffee
@@ -14,8 +14,11 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
     loading: false
     playing: false
     paused: false
+    load_error: false
     id: null
     media_type: null
+    cachedAudio: []
+    cache_size: 10
 
     playbackState:(position, time) ->
       state = {}
@@ -29,7 +32,6 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
       state.playbackStateChanged = !@state? || @state.isPlaying != @playing || @state.paused != @paused
       state.positionUpdateChanged = !@state? || @state.positionMs != position
       state.currentTimeChanged = !@state? || @state.time != time
-
       state
 
     changed: () ->
@@ -39,38 +41,54 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
 
       # XXX: how to deal with duration? no mention in Howler API
 
-      target = {id: @id, isPlaying: @playing, loaded: @loaded, paused: @paused, positionMs: position, time: time, durationMs: @onGetPlayDuration()}
+      target = {id: @id, isPlaying: @playing, loaded: @loaded, paused: @paused, loading: @loading, load_error: @load_error, positionMs: position, time: time, durationMs: @onGetPlayDuration()}
       $.extend(true, target, playbackState)
       @state = target
       @trigger(@state)
 
     onLoad: (id, urls, media_type) ->
+
+      if @loading
+        logger.error("you can't switch to different audio while loading due to weird errors seen in Howler")
+        return
+
       if @audio
         @audio.stop()
-        @audio.unload()
         @loaded = false
         @loading = false
         @playing = false
         @paused = false
+        @load_error = false
 
+      @audio = null
       @id = id
       @media_type = media_type
       @loading = true
       @playing = false
       @paused = false
 
-      console.log("URLS", urls)
-      @audio = new Howl({
-        src: urls,
-        autoplay: false,
-        loop: false,
-        volume: 1,
-        preload: true,
-        onend: @onAudioEnded,
-        onload: @onAudioLoaded,
-        onpause: @onAudioPause,
-        onplay: @onAudioPlay
-      })
+
+      for cacheItem in @cachedAudio
+        if cacheItem.id == id
+          # items in our own cache are only there if we saw that it fully loaded
+          @audio = cacheItem.audio
+          @loaded = true
+          @loading = false
+
+      unless @audio?
+        @audio = new Howl({
+          src: urls,
+          autoplay: false,
+          loop: false,
+          volume: 1,
+          preload: true,
+          onend: @onAudioEnded,
+          onload: @onAudioLoaded,
+          onloaderror: @onAudioLoadError,
+          onpause: @onAudioPause,
+          onplay: @onAudioPlay
+        })
+        @audio.jkid = id
 
       @changed()
 
@@ -135,13 +153,30 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
         0
 
     onAudioEnded: () ->
-      logger.debug("onAudioEnded", this, arguments)
+      logger.debug("onAudioEnded")
       @playing = false
       @changed()
 
     onAudioLoaded: () ->
-      logger.debug("onAudioLoaded")
+      logger.debug("onAudioLoaded", arguments)
       @loaded = true
+      @loading = false
+
+      # add audio to cache, and ageout cached audio items if more than 10 \
+      if @cachedAudio.length >= @cache_size
+        audio = @cachedAudio.shift()
+        try
+          audio.audio.unload()
+        catch e
+          logger.error("unable to unload aged audio", @audio)
+
+      @cachedAudio.push({id: @audio.jkid, audio: @audio})
+      @changed()
+
+    onAudioLoadError: () ->
+      logger.debug("onAudioLoadError", arguments)
+      @load_error = true
+      @loading = false
       @changed()
 
     onAudioPause: () ->
diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/JamTrackPlayerStore.js.coffee b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/JamTrackPlayerStore.js.coffee
index 244477b7f..c4ba3b6cf 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/JamTrackPlayerStore.js.coffee
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/JamTrackPlayerStore.js.coffee
@@ -167,6 +167,8 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
         else
           if @browserMediaState.loaded
             @jamTrack.activeStem.client_state = 'ready'
+          else if @browserMediaState.load_error
+            @jamTrack.activeStem.client_state = 'download_fail'
           else
             @jamTrack.activeStem.client_state = 'downloading'
 
@@ -185,6 +187,8 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
           else
             if @browserMediaState.loaded
               @jamTrack.activeMixdown.client_state = 'ready'
+            else if @browserMediaState.load_error
+              @jamTrack.activeMixdown.client_state = 'download_fail'
             else
               @jamTrack.activeMixdown.client_state = 'downloading'
 
@@ -202,6 +206,8 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
         else
           if @browserMediaState.loaded
             @jamTrack.client_state = 'ready'
+          else if @browserMediaState.load_error
+            @jamTrack.client_state = 'download_fail'
           else
             @jamTrack.client_state = 'downloading'
       else
@@ -278,6 +284,10 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
       alert("stop playing")
 
     onOpenMixdown: (mixdown) ->
+      if @browserMediaState.loading
+        logger.warn("can not activate mixdown while browser media is loading")
+        return
+
       logger.debug("opening mixdown", mixdown)
 
       # check if it's already available in the backend or not
@@ -295,6 +305,10 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
       )
 
     onOpenStem: (stem_id) ->
+      if @browserMediaState.loading
+        logger.warn("can not activate stem while browser media is loading")
+        return
+
       logger.debug("opening stem", stem_id)
 
       # check if it's already available in the backend or not
@@ -312,6 +326,11 @@ BrowserMediaActions = @BrowserMediaActions
       )
 
     onActivateNoMixdown: (jamTrack) ->
+
+      if @browserMediaState.loading
+        logger.warn("can not activate JamTrack while browser media is loading")
+        return
+
       logger.debug("activating no mixdown")
 
       rest.markMixdownActive({id: @jamTrack.id, mixdown_id: null})