diff --git a/mopidy/backends/base/playback.py b/mopidy/backends/base/playback.py
index 088a5ad4..78e5057d 100644
--- a/mopidy/backends/base/playback.py
+++ b/mopidy/backends/base/playback.py
@@ -464,27 +464,17 @@ class PlaybackController(object):
         logger.debug(u'Triggering started playing event')
         if self.current_track is None:
             return
-        ActorRegistry.broadcast({
-            'command': 'pykka_call',
-            'attr_path': ('started_playing',),
-            'args': [],
-            'kwargs': {'track': self.current_track},
-        }, target_class=BackendListener)
+        BackendListener.send('started_playing',
+            track=self.current_track)
 
     def _trigger_stopped_playing_event(self):
         # TODO Test that this is called on next/prev/end-of-track
         logger.debug(u'Triggering stopped playing event')
         if self.current_track is None:
             return
-        ActorRegistry.broadcast({
-            'command': 'pykka_call',
-            'attr_path': ('stopped_playing',),
-            'args': [],
-            'kwargs': {
-                'track': self.current_track,
-                'time_position': self.time_position,
-            },
-        }, target_class=BackendListener)
+        BackendListener.send('stopped_playing',
+            track=self.current_track,
+            time_position=self.time_position)
 
 
 class BasePlaybackProvider(object):
diff --git a/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py b/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py
index 4deb7b89..561f9295 100644
--- a/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py
+++ b/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class MpdSession(network.LineProtocol):
 
         logger.debug(u'Response to [%s]:%s from %s: %s', self.host, self.port,
             self.actor_urn, log.indent(self.terminator.join(response)))
-            
+
         self.send_lines(response)
 
     def close(self):
diff --git a/mopidy/listeners.py b/mopidy/listeners.py
index dfc5c60b..9977d5da 100644
--- a/mopidy/listeners.py
+++ b/mopidy/listeners.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from pykka import registry
+
 class BackendListener(object):
     """
     Marker interface for recipients of events sent by the backend.
@@ -9,6 +11,16 @@ class BackendListener(object):
     interested in all events.
     """
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def send(event, **kwargs):
+        """Helper to allow calling of backend listener events"""
+        registry.ActorRegistry.broadcast({
+            'command': 'pykka_call',
+            'attr_path': (event,),
+            'args': [],
+            'kwargs': kwargs
+        }, target_class=BackendListener)
+
     def started_playing(self, track):
         """
         Called whenever a new track starts playing.