Load cover art more efficiently

src/CoverCache.vala

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/*
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-3.0-or-later
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 elementary, Inc. (https://elementary.io)
+ */
+
+[SingleInstance]
+public class Music.CoverCache : Object {
+    private HashTable<string, Gdk.Texture> loaded_covers;
+
+    construct {
+        loaded_covers = new HashTable<string, Gdk.Texture> (str_hash, str_equal);
+    }
+
+    public Gdk.Texture? get_cover (string album) {
+        return loaded_covers.get (album);
+    }
+
+    public Gdk.Texture? add_cover (string album, Gdk.Pixbuf pix) {
+        Gdk.Texture cover = Gdk.Texture.for_pixbuf (pix);
+        loaded_covers.insert (album, cover);
+        return cover;
+    }
+}

src/PlaybackManager.vala

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ public class Music.PlaybackManager : Object {
 
     private dynamic Gst.Element playbin;
     private Gst.PbUtils.Discoverer discoverer;
+    private CoverCache cover_cache;
     private uint progress_timer = 0;
     private Settings settings;
 
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ public class Music.PlaybackManager : Object {
     private PlaybackManager () {}
 
     construct {
+        cover_cache = new CoverCache ();
         queue_liststore = new ListStore (typeof (AudioObject));
 
         playbin = Gst.ElementFactory.make ("playbin", "playbin");
@@ -213,12 +215,21 @@ public class Music.PlaybackManager : Object {
                 audio_object.artist = _("Unknown");
             }
 
+            string _album;
+            tag_list.get_string (Gst.Tags.ALBUM, out _album);
+
+            string album_key = "%s-%s".printf (_album, audio_object.artist);
+            audio_object.texture = cover_cache.get_cover (album_key);
+            if (audio_object.texture != null) {
+                return;
+            }
+
             var sample = get_cover_sample (tag_list);
             if (sample != null) {
                 var buffer = sample.get_buffer ();
 
                 if (buffer != null) {
-                    audio_object.texture = Gdk.Texture.for_pixbuf (get_pixbuf_from_buffer (buffer));
+                    audio_object.texture = cover_cache.add_cover (album_key, get_pixbuf_from_buffer (buffer));
                 }
             }
         } else {

src/meson.build

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ sources = [
     'AudioObject.vala',
     'MainWindow.vala',
     'PlaybackManager.vala',
+    'CoverCache.vala',
     'DBus/MprisPlayer.vala',
     'DBus/MprisRoot.vala',
     'Views/NowPlayingView.vala',