Media content items is provided to content consumers for playback and consumption includes plurality of nodes interacting with each other in accordance with defined protocol in communication network. A first node receives a request for playback of a media content from a content consumer. A second node owns the requested media content and provides media content rights to the first participant and/or the content consumer. The first node further provides media content metadata to the consumer device for consumption. A plurality of instances of a distributed media rights transaction ledger, associated with respective node, includes a plurality of media content rights transactions corresponding to an acquisition of the media content rights by the first participant and/or content consumer prior to the consumption of the media content. The plurality of media content rights transactions is categorized, defined, and managed by plurality of nodes in accordance with the defined protocol.