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To show the song playing on a YouTube radio stream, use an OBS overlay or companion tool that reads track metadata from the app or browser playing the audio. Add that overlay to your OBS scene, then test track changes, long titles and playback stops before going live. YouTube Live’s broadcast settings are not the documented way to update an on-screen title for each track.
Choose a method for the app playing your music
The right method depends on whether you play audio in a browser or in the YouTube Music desktop app. An overlay is separate from the YouTube playback page: it reads metadata and renders it in your stream scene. Adding the playback page itself as a source is not a guaranteed way to isolate or display its current track title.
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| Where audio plays | Approach | Requirements and behavior |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube or YouTube Music in a browser | Music on stream browser-source overlay | The OBS resource listing describes support for YouTube and YouTube Music, including title inputs from YouTube chapters or video-description playlists. It also lists a theme editor and CSS customization. Confirm your specific playback source works and test it in your scene. |
| Browser audio registered with Windows Media Control | TUNA-based NowPlaying-Universal overlay | Requires Windows, OBS, the TUNA plugin and a local web server. The repository lists browser YouTube and YouTube Music as verified sources. Multiple browser audio sources can cause the most recently active source to appear. |
| YouTube Music desktop app | File-based metadata bridge or a YTMDesktop2 local-API browser overlay | These are separate projects. The bridge writes title and artist data to files for OBS text and image sources; YTMDesktop2 documents an overlay using its local API and notes an optional client token. |
| YouTube Live broadcast settings | Not a documented per-track overlay method | The YouTube Live Streaming API documentation describes broadcast resources and broadcast-level metadata, such as the broadcast title. It does not establish automatic, changing on-screen track titles. |
Set up a browser-source overlay
- Identify the playback source. Note whether the audio comes from YouTube or YouTube Music, and which browser is playing it. If using an OBS resource such as Music on stream, check its current supported inputs and follow its instructions for configuring the metadata source.
- Add the overlay, not the playback page. In OBS, select the scene where the radio stream appears, choose Sources → + → Browser, and configure the overlay’s supplied URL or local page as its browser source. Use the dimensions and setup instructions provided by that overlay; they are not universal.
- Place and style the title. Position the browser source over your background or visual. Configure the overlay’s title and, if available, artist display and styling. Music on stream lists theme editing and CSS customization.
- Test actual track changes. Start playback and confirm that the displayed title updates when the next track begins. Check a long title, a pause or stop, and any transitions your playlist uses. Do this in the scene before broadcasting.
Use Windows Media Control with TUNA
The NowPlaying-Universal community project reads Windows Media Control through the OBS TUNA plugin. Its repository documents a local web server as part of the setup, so this is more involved than adding a generic browser page.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →- On Windows, install OBS and the TUNA plugin, then follow the repository’s instructions for setting up its local web server and overlay.
- Add the overlay to the OBS scene using the project’s documented source configuration.
- Play audio in the browser and check whether title and artist metadata appear. Test the exact browser and playback source you intend to use.
There is a multi-source edge case: when two browser tabs play audio, the overlay may show the most recently active source. When that source stops, the first source may not appear again until a track-change event. Avoid competing audio during a live broadcast, or test the behavior with your exact setup.
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Use the YouTube Music desktop app with OBS
File-based bridge
The ytmusic-obs-nowplaying project targets the YouTube Music desktop app and writes title and artist data to files that OBS can read. Its README instructs users to enable the Tuna OBS plugin, run the receiver, and add OBS text and image sources that point to the generated files.
- Follow the project README to enable its required Tuna OBS plugin and run the receiver for the YouTube Music desktop app.
- In OBS, add a text source and, if desired, an image source using the paths to the files generated by the bridge.
- Play a track and check that the sources update. Also close the app fully and verify what your scene displays: the README says the last title remains after the app is closed, so stale text is possible.
YTMDesktop2 local-API overlay
YTMDesktop2 documents a different approach: an OBS browser-source overlay that uses its local API. Follow its overlay setup documentation for the browser source, layout options and any client-token configuration applicable to your installation. Do not treat this project as the same tool as the file-based bridge.
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Test the overlay before going live
- Track changes: confirm a new title appears after the next track starts, rather than assuming the display will update at the right moment.
- Long names: check whether the full title fits or is cut off with an ellipsis. Adjust the available space or styling if the overlay supports it; verify the result in the scene.
- Pause, stop and close: see what appears when playback pauses, stops, or the app closes. File-based YouTube Music bridging may leave the last title visible after the app closes.
- Competing audio: if using Windows Media Control, test whether other browser tabs playing sound take over the displayed metadata.
- Scene visibility: confirm the overlay is above the background and visible where viewers will see it, without covering other important content.
What the title display does—and does not—do
A now-playing overlay displays metadata; it does not establish permission to use the music in a livestream. The tools described here document ways to capture and show titles, not licensing rights for particular tracks. Verify the permissions relevant to the music and your use before streaming it.
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