There are
legal reasons why a song can't be played right away when it is requested, if that is what you are asking.
Just thinking out loud, I'm not sure if a request is considered intentional programming, but I think there is a limit to 2 requests per 2 hour period from all users that guarantees that not more than 2 songs in a row from the same recording can be played within a 3 hour period. (Uh, see rule 2.)
Because of the legal limitations, it makes sense to limit user requests to 1 a day because, of the however-many people listening, it appears that only 24 requests can be accomodated in a 24 hour period, give or take. It doesn't happen very often, but I've seen the queue backed up by as much as 8 hours or so; I figure it doesn't get much longer because people figure they won't hear their song anyway at that point.
You can get a little priority boost and an extra request if you subscribe. Dunno if that's something you'd be interested in, but I'd encourage it. Beyond the request benefits, the money goes towards new tunes which is almost always a good thing. :)
