A method, system, and computer program product allow users to skip and/or to fast-forward through media items such as songs, while limiting the extent to which skipping is allowed in order to maintain conformance with sound performance complement restrictions such as those specified by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If the user requests a skip that may result in a DMCA violation, the skip is disallowed and the request is denied. Playlists are constructed so that the sound recording performance complement limitations are applied to a longer time period than the period specified in the DMCA, the longer time period being defined by adding an “excess time” to the normal DMCA period. If the user attempts to skip a song or song portion that would cause the aggregated skipped amount to exceed the excess time, the skip is disallowed.