The correction runs after the load; the audio does not wait for it

An apply path that reacts to a remote command usually does two things in a row: load the item the room is on, then bring the transport into line. Written naively that is:

// the shape to avoid
load(item, startPlaying = true)     // "we'll fix it below if the room is paused"
applyTransport(isPlaying, position)

There is no ordering guarantee between "the load call returned" and "the output opened". The load path commits to playing the moment it has enough of the stream, which can be before, during or after the correction — so the follower plays a burst of audio into a paused room, and which side wins depends on the network. Pass the decision in instead: