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To show a radio station’s changing song title on a YouTube live stream, get the station’s now-playing metadata and display it in an OBS scene—usually with a browser source or a text source that reads a file updated by a small helper. YouTube’s broadcast title is not a live song-title overlay; the text must be part of the video OBS sends to YouTube.
What you need
The setup has two parts: a source that provides the station’s current artist and song title, and an OBS scene element that displays that value. The radio audio and the metadata feed are separate: receiving the audio does not guarantee you can access the track title.
- The station’s documented now-playing endpoint or another supported metadata feed.
- OBS Studio, with the radio audio routed into the broadcast as needed.
- A browser overlay or a local helper that supplies the current title to an OBS text source.
The exact endpoint, metadata fields and setup depend on the station, streaming provider and your operating system. Ask the station operator or host whether the stream uses Icecast, SHOUTcast or a managed service, and request its public now-playing API or supported metadata interface.
Find and verify the station’s metadata
If the station uses Icecast
Icecast provides a machine-readable /status-json.xsl endpoint. Try that path on the station host and inspect the active mount’s status for a title field. Depending on how the station supplies metadata, the value may contain the artist and track title together. Icecast cautions that fields may not always be present, so confirm the field and its contents for this particular station rather than assuming a fixed JSON structure.
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Check that the title changes at a track boundary. If the endpoint is unavailable, private or has no title field, ask the operator to expose a supported feed or provide authorized access. Do not treat Icecast’s human-facing status page as an API: its documentation warns that scraping the web interface is discouraged and that it can change between versions.
If it is not Icecast
Ask the operator or provider for the documented now-playing endpoint or metadata interface for that service. Do not assume a web player page exposes stable, machine-readable data. A page that happens to show a title to listeners may change without notice and may not be accessible to OBS.
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Choose how OBS will display the title
| Route | How it works | Best fit and caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Browser overlay | A small overlay page periodically reads the station’s metadata endpoint and renders the current title. Add the page as an OBS browser source. | Useful when the endpoint permits browser requests. If it blocks cross-origin requests (CORS), the page may not be able to read it directly; a local helper or server-side proxy may be needed. |
| Local helper and text file | A helper polls the metadata endpoint and writes the current title to a text file. Configure an OBS text source to read that file. | Useful when browser access is blocked or you want OBS to display locally supplied text. The helper must keep running and handle missing or stale metadata. |
| OBS plugin for supported playback sources | A plugin reads metadata from a supported media source and makes it available for display. | Only fits if the radio audio is played through a source the plugin supports; it does not guarantee compatibility with an arbitrary radio stream URL. |
Browser overlay considerations
The overlay must know the station’s actual endpoint and the field containing the title. Because these vary, use the endpoint’s observed response rather than copying a generic field path. If browser cross-origin restrictions prevent the page from fetching the endpoint, use an authorized local helper or proxy instead of trying to bypass the station’s access controls. Do not put private station credentials in a public overlay URL.
There is also an OBS browser overlay resource called “Music on stream.” Its listing describes support for several named music services and title sources such as YouTube chapters and description playlists; that does not establish support for an arbitrary radio station’s endpoint.
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Local helper considerations
Have the helper poll only the station’s documented feed, extract the confirmed title value, and update a local text file. Set the OBS text source to read that file, then check what happens if the feed briefly returns no title: retaining the last good title can leave stale information on screen, while replacing it with a neutral message makes the missing update visible. Choose deliberately and test the behavior before going live.
Plugin option: OBS Tuna
OBS Tuna is one option when the audio is coming through a supported source such as VLC or MPD. Its listing specifies OBS 28.0.0 minimum and Windows/Linux support. Confirm current compatibility before installing, and check whether your particular playback source is supported; the listing does not promise support for every radio server URL.
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Add and test the overlay in OBS
- Make the metadata available. Confirm the station endpoint and the title field, or set up the local helper and text file. Verify that the value updates when the station changes tracks.
- Add the display source. In the OBS scene used for the YouTube broadcast, add a browser source for your overlay page, or add a text source configured to read the helper’s file. For a plugin, follow its current installation and setup instructions and select a supported media source.
- Position and format it. Place the source where it will not cover important video content. Adjust its font, size, color and background for legibility against the scene. If the title is long, check that it wraps, scrolls or clips in an acceptable way.
- Preview a track change. Watch the OBS preview through at least one title update. Confirm that the displayed artist and song are current, the text remains readable and a missing value does not leave a misleading stale title.
- Start the existing YouTube/OBS broadcast workflow. The outgoing OBS picture carries the visual overlay. YouTube’s broadcast and video resources have their own broadcast metadata; changing the broadcast title is not a substitute for placing the song title in the scene.
Keep broadcast metadata and the song overlay separate
A YouTube live broadcast has a title and other event metadata, but that is metadata for the broadcast/video resource, not a track label that automatically changes as the radio station plays new songs. You can set an appropriate broadcast title through your normal YouTube live workflow, but the changing song title still needs to be rendered into OBS’s outgoing video.
Copyright and station authorization
Displaying a track title does not grant permission to rebroadcast the station’s audio or any music in it. Confirm that you are authorized to stream the audio to YouTube and check the applicable rights and YouTube policies before going live. If the station endpoint or metadata is access-controlled, use only access the operator has authorized; Icecast’s administrative metadata-update function is for authorized operators changing mountpoint metadata, not a public read feed.
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Troubleshooting
- No title appears: The endpoint may be unavailable, private, or missing metadata. Confirm the feed with the station operator and inspect the active mount rather than relying on the audio stream alone.
- The overlay works in a browser but not as an OBS browser source: Check whether the endpoint blocks cross-origin requests. Use a local helper or authorized proxy if needed.
- The title stops changing: Check whether the station’s metadata itself has changed, whether the helper is still running, and whether the overlay is reading the correct endpoint and field.
- A plugin shows no metadata: Confirm that the radio is being played through a source the plugin supports. A direct station URL is not necessarily supported.
- The title is stale after a feed failure: Decide whether the overlay should keep the last good title or display a neutral unavailable message, and test that behavior so viewers are not shown an old track as current.
- The text is clipped or hard to read: Adjust the source’s size, placement and formatting in the scene, then preview a long title against the actual background.
Or let it run in the cloud
StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos; it is not a way to fetch a radio station’s changing metadata or go live from a camera. For the OBS method above, your computer still has to run the audio and overlay setup. If your goal instead is to keep an uploaded-video stream running, StreamNeo lets you upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; it streams uploaded video as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot, and automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly billing is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo or start the free first day.
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