diff --git a/server/encoder/encoder.hpp b/server/encoder/encoder.hpp
index e033f3f0..8598d838 100644
--- a/server/encoder/encoder.hpp
+++ b/server/encoder/encoder.hpp
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ class Encoder;
 class EncoderListener
 {
 public:
-    virtual void onChunkEncoded(const Encoder* encoder, msg::PcmChunk* chunk, double duration) = 0;
+    virtual void onChunkEncoded(const Encoder* encoder, std::shared_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> chunk, double duration) = 0;
 };
 
 
diff --git a/server/encoder/flac_encoder.cpp b/server/encoder/flac_encoder.cpp
index 0d94b6de..7d74b465 100644
--- a/server/encoder/flac_encoder.cpp
+++ b/server/encoder/flac_encoder.cpp
@@ -28,9 +28,8 @@ using namespace std;
 namespace encoder
 {
 
-FlacEncoder::FlacEncoder(const std::string& codecOptions) : Encoder(codecOptions), encoder_(nullptr), pcmBufferSize_(0), encodedSamples_(0)
+FlacEncoder::FlacEncoder(const std::string& codecOptions) : Encoder(codecOptions), encoder_(nullptr), pcmBufferSize_(0), encodedSamples_(0), flacChunk_(nullptr)
 {
-    flacChunk_ = new msg::PcmChunk();
     headerChunk_.reset(new msg::CodecHeader("flac"));
     pcmBuffer_ = (FLAC__int32*)malloc(pcmBufferSize_ * sizeof(FLAC__int32));
 }
@@ -46,7 +45,6 @@ FlacEncoder::~FlacEncoder()
         FLAC__stream_encoder_delete(encoder_);
     }
 
-    delete flacChunk_;
     free(pcmBuffer_);
 }
 
@@ -71,8 +69,8 @@ std::string FlacEncoder::name() const
 
 void FlacEncoder::encode(const msg::PcmChunk* chunk)
 {
-    if (!flacChunk_->format.isInitialized())
-        flacChunk_->format = chunk->format;
+    if (flacChunk_ == nullptr)
+        flacChunk_ = make_shared<msg::PcmChunk>(chunk->format, 0);
 
     int samples = chunk->getSampleCount();
     int frames = chunk->getFrameCount();
@@ -113,7 +111,7 @@ void FlacEncoder::encode(const msg::PcmChunk* chunk)
         //		LOG(INFO) << "encoded: " << chunk->payloadSize << "\tframes: " << encodedSamples_ << "\tres: " << resMs << "\n";
         encodedSamples_ = 0;
         listener_->onChunkEncoded(this, flacChunk_, resMs);
-        flacChunk_ = new msg::PcmChunk(chunk->format, 0);
+        flacChunk_ = make_shared<msg::PcmChunk>(chunk->format, 0);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/server/encoder/flac_encoder.hpp b/server/encoder/flac_encoder.hpp
index 82a456be..22a18082 100644
--- a/server/encoder/flac_encoder.hpp
+++ b/server/encoder/flac_encoder.hpp
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ protected:
     FLAC__int32* pcmBuffer_;
     int pcmBufferSize_;
 
-    msg::PcmChunk* flacChunk_;
+    std::shared_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> flacChunk_;
     size_t encodedSamples_;
 };
 
diff --git a/server/encoder/ogg_encoder.cpp b/server/encoder/ogg_encoder.cpp
index 55403a0a..4065a939 100644
--- a/server/encoder/ogg_encoder.cpp
+++ b/server/encoder/ogg_encoder.cpp
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ void OggEncoder::encode(const msg::PcmChunk* chunk)
     /* tell the library how much we actually submitted */
     vorbis_analysis_wrote(&vd_, frames);
 
-    auto* oggChunk = new msg::PcmChunk(chunk->format, 0);
+    auto oggChunk = make_shared<msg::PcmChunk>(chunk->format, 0);
 
     /* vorbis does some data preanalysis, then divvies up blocks for
     more involved (potentially parallel) processing.  Get a single
@@ -149,8 +149,6 @@ void OggEncoder::encode(const msg::PcmChunk* chunk)
         oggChunk->payloadSize = pos;
         listener_->onChunkEncoded(this, oggChunk, res);
     }
-    else
-        delete oggChunk;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/server/encoder/opus_encoder.cpp b/server/encoder/opus_encoder.cpp
index 9af2a910..e80f8c42 100644
--- a/server/encoder/opus_encoder.cpp
+++ b/server/encoder/opus_encoder.cpp
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ void OpusEncoder::encode(const SampleFormat& format, const char* data, size_t si
     if (len > 0)
     {
         // copy encoded data to chunk
-        auto* opusChunk = new msg::PcmChunk(format, 0);
+        auto opusChunk = make_shared<msg::PcmChunk>(format, 0);
         opusChunk->payloadSize = len;
         opusChunk->payload = (char*)realloc(opusChunk->payload, opusChunk->payloadSize);
         memcpy(opusChunk->payload, encoded_.data(), len);
diff --git a/server/encoder/pcm_encoder.cpp b/server/encoder/pcm_encoder.cpp
index 25f60be5..ce01592f 100644
--- a/server/encoder/pcm_encoder.cpp
+++ b/server/encoder/pcm_encoder.cpp
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ PcmEncoder::PcmEncoder(const std::string& codecOptions) : Encoder(codecOptions)
 
 void PcmEncoder::encode(const msg::PcmChunk* chunk)
 {
-    auto* pcmChunk = new msg::PcmChunk(*chunk);
+    auto pcmChunk = std::make_shared<msg::PcmChunk>(*chunk);
     listener_->onChunkEncoded(this, pcmChunk, pcmChunk->durationMs());
 }
 
diff --git a/server/stream_server.cpp b/server/stream_server.cpp
index da1c11a0..4b8b8e63 100644
--- a/server/stream_server.cpp
+++ b/server/stream_server.cpp
@@ -90,14 +90,12 @@ void StreamServer::onStateChanged(const PcmStream* pcmStream, const ReaderState&
 }
 
 
-void StreamServer::onChunkRead(const PcmStream* pcmStream, msg::PcmChunk* chunk, double /*duration*/)
+void StreamServer::onChunkRead(const PcmStream* pcmStream, std::shared_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> chunk, double /*duration*/)
 {
     //	LOG(INFO) << "onChunkRead (" << pcmStream->getName() << "): " << duration << "ms\n";
     bool isDefaultStream(pcmStream == streamManager_->getDefaultStream().get());
-    // wrap it into a unique_ptr to ensure that the memory will be freed
-    unique_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> chunk_ptr(chunk);
 
-    shared_const_buffer buffer(*chunk_ptr);
+    shared_const_buffer buffer(*chunk);
 
     std::vector<std::shared_ptr<StreamSession>> sessions;
     {
diff --git a/server/stream_server.hpp b/server/stream_server.hpp
index c5414506..fed49641 100644
--- a/server/stream_server.hpp
+++ b/server/stream_server.hpp
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public:
     /// Implementation of PcmListener
     void onMetaChanged(const PcmStream* pcmStream) override;
     void onStateChanged(const PcmStream* pcmStream, const ReaderState& state) override;
-    void onChunkRead(const PcmStream* pcmStream, msg::PcmChunk* chunk, double duration) override;
+    void onChunkRead(const PcmStream* pcmStream, std::shared_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> chunk, double duration) override;
     void onResync(const PcmStream* pcmStream, double ms) override;
 
 private:
diff --git a/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.cpp b/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.cpp
index 343fbc45..5d600bb5 100644
--- a/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.cpp
+++ b/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.cpp
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ void PcmStream::setState(const ReaderState& newState)
 }
 
 
-void PcmStream::onChunkEncoded(const encoder::Encoder* /*encoder*/, msg::PcmChunk* chunk, double duration)
+void PcmStream::onChunkEncoded(const encoder::Encoder* /*encoder*/, std::shared_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> chunk, double duration)
 {
     // LOG(TRACE, LOG_TAG) << "onChunkEncoded: " << duration << " ms, compression ratio: " << 100 - ceil(100 * (chunk->durationMs() / duration)) << "%\n";
     if (duration <= 0)
diff --git a/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.hpp b/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.hpp
index 45ed86f8..ddfdba7f 100644
--- a/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.hpp
+++ b/server/streamreader/pcm_stream.hpp
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class PcmListener
 public:
     virtual void onMetaChanged(const PcmStream* pcmStream) = 0;
     virtual void onStateChanged(const PcmStream* pcmStream, const ReaderState& state) = 0;
-    virtual void onChunkRead(const PcmStream* pcmStream, msg::PcmChunk* chunk, double duration) = 0;
+    virtual void onChunkRead(const PcmStream* pcmStream, std::shared_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> chunk, double duration) = 0;
     virtual void onResync(const PcmStream* pcmStream, double ms) = 0;
 };
 
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public:
     virtual void stop();
 
     /// Implementation of EncoderListener::onChunkEncoded
-    void onChunkEncoded(const encoder::Encoder* encoder, msg::PcmChunk* chunk, double duration) override;
+    void onChunkEncoded(const encoder::Encoder* encoder, std::shared_ptr<msg::PcmChunk> chunk, double duration) override;
     virtual std::shared_ptr<msg::CodecHeader> getHeader();
 
     virtual const StreamUri& getUri() const;