diff --git a/src/contrib/websocket_remote/Constants.h b/src/contrib/websocket_remote/Constants.h
index 9ad030703..c66ecaeff 100644
--- a/src/contrib/websocket_remote/Constants.h
+++ b/src/contrib/websocket_remote/Constants.h
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ namespace defaults {
     static const std::string password = "";
     static const int transcoder_cache_count = 50;
     static const bool transcoder_synchronous = false;
-    static const bool transcoder_synchronous_fallback = true;
+    static const bool transcoder_synchronous_fallback = false;
 }
 
 namespace prefs {
diff --git a/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/MainActivity.java b/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/MainActivity.java
index 1ac1a3c57..53cc3566c 100644
--- a/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/MainActivity.java
+++ b/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/MainActivity.java
@@ -58,22 +58,26 @@ public class MainActivity extends WebSocketActivityBase {
     private WebSocketService wss = null;
 
     private SharedPreferences prefs;
+    private PlaybackService playback;
+    private Handler handler = new Handler();
+
     private TextView title, artist, album, playPause, volume;
     private TextView titleWithArt, artistAndAlbumWithArt, volumeWithArt;
+    private View mainTrackMetadataWithAlbumArt, mainTrackMetadataNoAlbumArt;
     private TextView notPlayingOrDisconnected;
     private View buffering, bufferingWithArt;
     private View connected;
     private CheckBox shuffleCb, muteCb, repeatCb;
     private View disconnectedOverlay;
-    private Handler handler = new Handler();
-    private PlaybackService playback;
+    private ImageView albumArtImageView;
+
+    private ViewPropertyAnimator metadataAnim1, metadataAnim2;
 
     /* ugh, artwork related */
     private enum DisplayMode { Artwork, NoArtwork, Stopped }
-    private View mainTrackMetadataWithAlbumArt, mainTrackMetadataNoAlbumArt;
-    private ViewPropertyAnimator metadataAnim1, metadataAnim2;
     private AlbumArtModel albumArtModel = AlbumArtModel.empty();
-    private ImageView albumArtImageView;
+    private DisplayMode lastDisplayMode = DisplayMode.Stopped;
+    private String lastArtworkUrl = null;
 
     static {
         REPEAT_TO_STRING_ID = new HashMap<>();
@@ -338,7 +342,7 @@ public class MainActivity extends WebSocketActivityBase {
         this.playPause.setText(playing ? R.string.button_pause : R.string.button_play);
 
         final boolean stopped = (playback.getPlaybackState() == PlaybackState.Stopped);
-        notPlayingOrDisconnected.setVisibility(stopped ? View.VISIBLE : View.GONE);
+        notPlayingOrDisconnected.setVisibility(!connected || stopped ? View.VISIBLE : View.GONE);
 
         boolean buffering = playback.getPlaybackState() == PlaybackState.Buffering;
 
@@ -413,6 +417,8 @@ public class MainActivity extends WebSocketActivityBase {
     }
 
     private void setMetadataDisplayMode(DisplayMode mode) {
+        lastDisplayMode = mode;
+
         if (metadataAnim1 != null) {
             metadataAnim1.cancel();
             metadataAnim2.cancel();
@@ -467,11 +473,13 @@ public class MainActivity extends WebSocketActivityBase {
         final String url = albumArtModel.getUrl();
 
         if (Strings.empty(url)) {
+            this.lastArtworkUrl = null;
             albumArtModel.fetch();
             setMetadataDisplayMode(DisplayMode.NoArtwork);
         }
-        else {
+        else if (!url.equals(lastArtworkUrl) || lastDisplayMode == DisplayMode.Stopped) {
             final int loadId = albumArtModel.getId();
+            this.lastArtworkUrl = url;
 
             Glide.with(this)
                 .load(url)
@@ -484,6 +492,7 @@ public class MainActivity extends WebSocketActivityBase {
                                                boolean isFirstResource)
                     {
                         setMetadataDisplayMode(DisplayMode.NoArtwork);
+                        lastArtworkUrl = null;
                         return false;
                     }
 
@@ -511,6 +520,9 @@ public class MainActivity extends WebSocketActivityBase {
                 })
                 .into(albumArtImageView);
         }
+        else {
+            setMetadataDisplayMode(lastDisplayMode);
+        }
     }
 
     private void navigateToCurrentArtist() {
diff --git a/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/ExoPlayerWrapper.java b/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/ExoPlayerWrapper.java
index 0b6e8e4ac..396db9984 100644
--- a/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/ExoPlayerWrapper.java
+++ b/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/ExoPlayerWrapper.java
@@ -211,15 +211,17 @@ public class ExoPlayerWrapper extends PlayerWrapper {
     public void dispose() {
         Preconditions.throwIfNotOnMainThread();
 
-        setState(State.Killing);
-        removeActivePlayer(this);
-        if (this.player != null) {
-            this.player.setPlayWhenReady(false);
-            this.player.removeListener(eventListener);
-            this.player.stop();
-            this.player.release();
+        if (!dead()) {
+            setState(State.Killing);
+            removeActivePlayer(this);
+            if (this.player != null) {
+                this.player.setPlayWhenReady(false);
+                this.player.removeListener(eventListener);
+                this.player.stop();
+                this.player.release();
+            }
+            setState(State.Disposed);
         }
-        setState(State.Disposed);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/StreamingPlaybackService.java b/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/StreamingPlaybackService.java
index 917f0c224..a9764d28b 100644
--- a/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/StreamingPlaybackService.java
+++ b/src/musikdroid/app/src/main/java/io/casey/musikcube/remote/playback/StreamingPlaybackService.java
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ public class StreamingPlaybackService implements PlaybackService {
 
             if (nextMetadata != null && nextPlayer != null) {
                 if (currentPlayer != null) {
+                    currentPlayer.setOnStateChangedListener(null);
                     currentPlayer.dispose();
                 }