diff --git a/src/EngineController.cpp b/src/EngineController.cpp
--- a/src/EngineController.cpp
+++ b/src/EngineController.cpp
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@
 
 #include <KLocalizedString>
 
+#include <thread>
+
+
 // for slotMetaDataChanged()
 typedef QPair<Phonon::MetaData, QString> FieldPair;
 
@@ -1242,7 +1245,10 @@
             << "-" << ( track->album() ? track->album()->name() : QString( "[no album]" ) )
             << "-" << track->name()
             << "," << playedFraction << ")";
-    track->finishedPlaying( playedFraction );
+
+    // Track::finishedPlaying is thread-safe and can take a long time to finish.
+    std::thread thread( &Meta::Track::finishedPlaying, track, playedFraction );
+    thread.detach();
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/src/context/applets/currenttrack/plugin/CurrentEngine.cpp b/src/context/applets/currenttrack/plugin/CurrentEngine.cpp
--- a/src/context/applets/currenttrack/plugin/CurrentEngine.cpp
+++ b/src/context/applets/currenttrack/plugin/CurrentEngine.cpp
@@ -42,14 +42,15 @@
 {
     EngineController* engine = The::engineController();
 
+    // Connect queued to reduce interface stuttering.
     connect( engine, &EngineController::trackPlaying,
-             this, &CurrentEngine::slotTrackChanged );
+             this, &CurrentEngine::slotTrackChanged, Qt::QueuedConnection );
     connect( engine, &EngineController::stopped,
-             this, &CurrentEngine::stopped );
+             this, &CurrentEngine::stopped, Qt::QueuedConnection );
     connect( engine, &EngineController::trackMetadataChanged,
-             this, &CurrentEngine::slotTrackMetadataChanged );
+             this, &CurrentEngine::slotTrackMetadataChanged, Qt::QueuedConnection );
     connect( engine, &EngineController::albumMetadataChanged,
-             this, &CurrentEngine::slotAlbumMetadataChanged );
+             this, &CurrentEngine::slotAlbumMetadataChanged, Qt::QueuedConnection );
 }
 
 CurrentEngine::~CurrentEngine()
diff --git a/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlMeta.cpp b/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlMeta.cpp
--- a/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlMeta.cpp
+++ b/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlMeta.cpp
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@
 #include <KLocalizedString>
 #include <ThreadWeaver/Queue>
 
+#include <thread>
+
+
 // additional constants
 namespace Meta
 {
@@ -1607,7 +1610,8 @@
     if( size > 1 && size < 1000 )
     {
         image = image.scaled( size, size, Qt::KeepAspectRatio, Qt::SmoothTransformation );
-        image.save( cachedImagePath, "PNG" );
+        std::thread thread( QOverload<const QString&, const char*, int>::of( &QImage::save ), image, cachedImagePath, "PNG", -1 );
+        thread.detach();
     }
 
     return image;
@@ -1663,7 +1667,8 @@
     while( QFile(path).exists() )
         path += '_'; // not that nice but it shouldn't happen that often.
 
-    image.save( path, "JPG" );
+    std::thread thread( QOverload<const QString&, const char*, int>::of( &QImage::save ), image, path, "JPG", -1 );
+    thread.detach();
     setImage( path );
 
     locker.unlock();
diff --git a/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlScanResultProcessor.cpp b/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlScanResultProcessor.cpp
--- a/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlScanResultProcessor.cpp
+++ b/src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlScanResultProcessor.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 
 #include <KMessageBox>
 
+#include <QAbstractEventDispatcher>
 #include <QApplication>
 
 SqlScanResultProcessor::SqlScanResultProcessor( GenericScanManager* manager,
@@ -94,13 +95,17 @@
 void
 SqlScanResultProcessor::blockUpdates()
 {
+    DEBUG_BLOCK
+
     m_collection->blockUpdatedSignal();
     m_collection->registry()->blockDatabaseUpdate();
 }
 
 void
 SqlScanResultProcessor::unblockUpdates()
 {
+    DEBUG_BLOCK
+
     m_collection->registry()->unblockDatabaseUpdate();
     m_collection->unblockUpdatedSignal();
 }
@@ -627,6 +632,8 @@
 void
 SqlScanResultProcessor::urlsCacheInit()
 {
+    DEBUG_BLOCK
+
     auto storage = m_collection->sqlStorage();
 
     QString query = QString( "SELECT id, deviceid, rpath, directory, uniqueid FROM urls;");
@@ -660,6 +667,8 @@
         }
 
         urlsCacheInsert( entry );
+
+        QAbstractEventDispatcher::instance()->processEvents( QEventLoop::AllEvents );
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/meta/support/MetaUtility.cpp b/src/core/meta/support/MetaUtility.cpp
--- a/src/core/meta/support/MetaUtility.cpp
+++ b/src/core/meta/support/MetaUtility.cpp
@@ -113,6 +113,8 @@
 QVariantMap
 Meta::Field::mprisMapFromTrack( const Meta::TrackPtr track )
 {
+    DEBUG_BLOCK
+
     QVariantMap map;
     if( track )
     {
@@ -130,10 +132,11 @@
             if( track->album()->hasAlbumArtist() && !track->album()->albumArtist()->name().isEmpty() )
                 map[ "albumartist" ] = track->album()->albumArtist()->name();
 
-            QImage image = track->album()->image();
             QUrl url = track->album()->imageLocation();
-            if ( url.isValid() && !url.isLocalFile() ) {
+            if ( url.isValid() && !url.isLocalFile() )
+            {
                 // embedded id?  Request a version to be put in the cache
+                QImage image = track->album()->image();
                 int width = track->album()->image().width();
                 url = track->album()->imageLocation( width );
                 debug() << "MPRIS: New location for width" << width << "is" << url;
@@ -173,6 +176,8 @@
 QVariantMap
 Meta::Field::mpris20MapFromTrack( const Meta::TrackPtr track )
 {
+    DEBUG_BLOCK
+
     QVariantMap map;
     if( track )
     {
@@ -189,12 +194,12 @@
         Meta::ConstStatisticsPtr statistics = track->statistics();
 
         if( album ) {
-            QImage image = album->image();
             QUrl url = album->imageLocation();
             debug() << "MPRIS2: Album image location is" << url;
             if ( url.isValid() && !url.isLocalFile() )
             {
                 // embedded id?  Request a version to be put in the cache
+                QImage image = album->image();
                 int width = album->image().width();
                 url = album->imageLocation( width );
                 debug() << "MPRIS2: New location for width" << width << "is" << url;
diff --git a/src/covermanager/CoverCache.cpp b/src/covermanager/CoverCache.cpp
--- a/src/covermanager/CoverCache.cpp
+++ b/src/covermanager/CoverCache.cpp
@@ -25,11 +25,13 @@
 #include <QPixmapCache>
 #include <QReadWriteLock>
 #include <QReadLocker>
+#include <QStandardPaths>
 #include <QWriteLocker>
 
-#include <QStandardPaths>
 #include <KLocalizedString>
 
+#include <thread>
+
 CoverCache* CoverCache::s_instance = 0;
 
 CoverCache*
@@ -115,7 +117,8 @@
         {
             const QPixmap orgPixmap( QStandardPaths::locate( QStandardPaths::GenericDataLocation, "amarok/images/nocover.png" ) );
             pixmap = orgPixmap.scaled( size, size, Qt::KeepAspectRatio, Qt::SmoothTransformation );
-            pixmap.save( cacheCoverDir.filePath( noCoverKey ), "PNG" );
+            std::thread thread( QOverload<const QString&, const char*, int>::of( &QPixmap::save ), pixmap, cacheCoverDir.filePath( noCoverKey ), "PNG", -1 );
+            thread.detach();
         }
         QPixmapCache::insert( noCoverKey, pixmap );
         return pixmap;
diff --git a/src/services/ServiceAlbumCoverDownloader.cpp b/src/services/ServiceAlbumCoverDownloader.cpp
--- a/src/services/ServiceAlbumCoverDownloader.cpp
+++ b/src/services/ServiceAlbumCoverDownloader.cpp
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@
     else if( m_hasFetchedCover && !m_cover.isNull() )
     {
         QImage image( m_cover.scaled( size, size, Qt::KeepAspectRatio, Qt::SmoothTransformation ) );
-        image.save( cacheCoverPath, "PNG" );
+        std::thread thread( QOverload<const QString&, const char*, int>::of( &QImage::save ), image, cacheCoverPath, "PNG", -1 );
+        thread.detach();
         return image;
     }
     else if( !m_isFetchingCover && !coverUrl().isEmpty() )