To stream a local music playlist continuously through OBS, install OBS Studio and VLC, add the tracks as a VLC Video source, enable Loop Playlist, then connect OBS to your YouTube channel with its stream key. This sets up repeat playback; it does not guarantee a 24/7 broadcast. Your computer, power, internet connection, playlist files and stream health must all remain available, and YouTube can interrupt a stream over copyright matches.
Before you set up the playlist
Install OBS Studio and VLC
OBS’s VLC Video source requires VLC media player to be installed. If you use 64-bit OBS, OBS documentation specifies installing 64-bit VLC. The source is documented for Windows, macOS and Linux. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
Confirm your music rights first
Only use tracks you are authorized to retransmit on a public YouTube live stream. Buying a song, finding it online or being able to play it in a personal account does not by itself establish permission for public live broadcast. If you plan to keep the stream archive, check that your rights also cover the archive.
YouTube says live streams are scanned for third-party content, including copyrighted material, and a match can replace the image, interrupt or terminate the stream. YouTube also warns that a license alone may not prevent interruption: the rights owner may need to add your channel to its Content ID allowlist. For music protected by copyright, YouTube for Artists advises coordinating with the label or distributor. Confirm the permission and any allowlisting before going live: YouTube Help: Copyright issues with live streams and YouTube for Artists: Going live for music channels.
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Build and loop the playlist in OBS
- Prepare local audio files. OBS Media Source documentation lists common audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV. Keep the files available on the computer running OBS; moving or deleting them can break playback.
- Open the scene for the broadcast. In OBS, select or create the scene you intend to stream from.
- Add the playlist source. In the Sources dock, select the plus button and choose VLC Video. If that option is missing, verify VLC is installed and that its architecture matches your OBS installation.
- Add the tracks. In the VLC Video source properties, add the local media files to the playlist. Arrange them in the order you want them to play.
- Enable repeat playback. Turn on Loop Playlist. This restarts playback after the final item. Shuffle Playlist is optional: leave it off for the listed order, or enable it if you want randomized playback.
- Set visibility behavior. Choose whether the source continues, pauses or stops when it is not visible. If the scene includes transitions or other scenes, make sure the selected behavior matches what you expect while the source is hidden.
- Add a visual layer if needed. You can add a static image or other visual source to the scene. OBS layers sources, so check their order: a source above another can obscure it. The OBS Sources Guide explains adding and arranging scene sources.
- Check playback before streaming. Start the source, confirm that the scene preview looks right and watch the OBS audio meter while a track plays. Check that transitions between tracks work and that the playlist returns to the beginning after the last item.
Connect OBS to YouTube and start the broadcast
- Check channel eligibility. YouTube Help says live streaming requires a verified channel and no live-stream restriction in the previous 90 days. Requirements and Studio workflows can change, so check YouTube Help: Get started with live streaming and your current YouTube Studio status.
- Create or schedule the live stream in YouTube Studio. Choose encoder streaming if prompted. YouTube supports encoder-based broadcasts; follow the current Studio flow for the event and its visibility.
- Connect OBS using the current YouTube/encoder flow. In OBS, open Settings and then Stream. Select YouTube if using the service integration, or select the stream-key method shown in YouTube Studio and enter the server and stream key YouTube provides. Do not share the stream key; anyone with it may be able to broadcast to your channel.
- Start a short test before an all-day session. Start streaming from OBS and check OBS’s stream status and YouTube’s Live Control Room for a healthy incoming feed, audible music and the intended picture. A private or unlisted test can help you catch setup issues before promoting the broadcast.
- Monitor the session. For an extended stream, keep an eye on OBS and YouTube Live Control Room. A looped source only handles repeat playback; it does not restart OBS, restore a failed internet connection or guarantee that YouTube will keep accepting the stream.
What “24/7” means with a local OBS setup
Here, 24/7 is the schedule you want, not an uptime promise from OBS or YouTube. The playlist can loop automatically, but the broadcast depends on the computer staying powered on, the operating system and OBS continuing to run, the local files remaining available, and the network and YouTube ingest remaining healthy. Plan how you will notice a stopped stream and recover it; a test cannot establish that a future long session will stay uninterrupted.
OBS also documents a single-file Media Source with a Loop control. That repeats one file, whereas VLC Video is the relevant option when you want multiple files in a playlist. OBS’s source guide describes local scene composition; YouTube’s HLS documentation concerns technical stream ingestion and is not an OBS playlist setup recipe. An OBS VLC playlist and YouTube’s HLS “Media Playlist” are different things: YouTube HLS ingestion documentation.
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Troubleshooting common problems
VLC Video is missing from the Sources menu
Install VLC and restart OBS. If OBS is 64-bit, install 64-bit VLC as specified in OBS’s documentation. Then check the Sources menu again.
The playlist stops after one track
Open the VLC Video source properties and enable Loop Playlist. The separate single-file Media Source uses a control named Loop; it is not the playlist control.
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There is no sound in the preview or stream
Confirm the source is playing, the OBS audio meter responds and the source is not muted. Check that the correct scene is active and that the playlist files still exist at their original locations. If the meter responds but the YouTube test is silent, review OBS audio routing and the selected stream output before a public broadcast.
The music disappears when switching scenes
Check the VLC Video source’s Visibility Behaviour. It can continue, pause or stop when the source is hidden. Adjust it for the way you use scenes, or keep the playlist source visible in the scene that is live.
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YouTube interrupts or terminates the stream
Review YouTube’s copyright notice and resolve the rights issue with the rights owner, label or distributor. If you have permission, ask whether your channel must be allowlisted through Content ID; YouTube says licensed third-party content can still be interrupted if it is not allowlisted. Do not assume that restarting the broadcast will resolve a rights restriction.
YouTube does not receive the OBS stream
Check that the channel is currently eligible for live streaming, OBS is connected to the correct YouTube event, and the stream key has been entered correctly. Check OBS’s stream status and YouTube Live Control Room. If the broadcast drops, verify the network and encoder connection before restarting.
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