How to Add Background Music Between Videos on a YouTube Live Stream

To keep music playing between videos on a YouTube live stream, add a local OBS Media Source and enable Loop for one file. For several tracks, use a VLC Video Source playlist with looping or shuffle enabled.

The music source must be present in the active scene and must reach OBS's stream mix. Before broadcasting, confirm that your music licence covers YouTube live video and any archived replay, because playback settings do not resolve copyright issues.

Choose a file or playlist

Start by deciding whether you need one continuous file or a collection of separate tracks. A single file is usually easier to check: you can arrange the order, remove unwanted gaps and make one compiled audio bed. A playlist is more convenient when you want to replace, add or shuffle individual tracks without editing the whole file.

For one track, OBS's Media Source supports common audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV. The file is stored on the computer running OBS, so place it in a stable folder rather than Downloads or a removable drive. If the file is moved or renamed later, OBS may no longer be able to open it.

For multiple tracks, VLC Video Source can load separate files into a playlist. VLC must be installed for this source type, and OBS advises using 64-bit VLC with 64-bit OBS. This is a local playback arrangement: the tracks are not being fetched from YouTube while you stream.

Approach	Suitable when	Main trade-off
Media Source with one file	You want a predictable music bed or a precompiled playlist	Simple to operate, but track order and gaps must be edited in the file itself
VLC Video Source playlist	You want separate tracks, looping or shuffle	More playlist control, but it adds VLC as a local dependency
YouTube Audio Library files	You need a source with YouTube's stated copyright-safety guidance	Individual licences and attribution requirements still need checking
Third-party music service	You need a wider catalogue or particular production music	Confirm live-stream, archive and Content ID terms before using it

If you are already arranging recorded videos as a continuous broadcast, the same scene planning applies to music. The guide on streaming a playlist to YouTube Live with OBS covers the wider playlist structure; this article focuses on the audio layer between those videos.

Check that you have permission to use the audio

Do this before opening OBS. A track being marked “free”, “royalty-free” or available on another channel does not by itself establish that you may use it in a YouTube live stream. Check who grants the permission, which platforms are covered, whether live transmission is included, whether an archived replay is included, and whether attribution is required.

YouTube says that tracks in its Audio Library can be downloaded as MP3 files, and that some Creative Commons tracks require the specified attribution in the video description. Read the individual track information rather than assuming every Audio Library track has identical conditions. You can start with YouTube's Audio Library guidance, then record the track title, creator and attribution text alongside your stream notes.

YouTube also says that only music and sound effects from the Audio Library are known to it as copyright-safe. That wording is not a general clearance for music found elsewhere. If you use a third-party catalogue, read its current licence for YouTube live streams and replays, including territory restrictions and any Content ID process.

YouTube scans live streams for third-party content. If it identifies protected content, YouTube may display a placeholder, warn you, interrupt the stream or terminate it. A licence does not necessarily prevent an automated interruption: YouTube advises creators who have licensed third-party content to ask the rights owner to add their channel to the owner's Content ID allowlist. The relevant YouTube guidance on copyright issues with live streams explains this point.

The responsibility remains with you to hold the necessary rights for the live content. YouTube's livestream terms and conditions refer to rights needed for the live transmission, including music rights from artists, record labels, publishers and other participants. Review the terms for the live broadcast and its replay, not only for the few minutes during which the music plays between videos.

Keep a copy of your licence or permission record. It should identify the source and the permitted use. If the owner requires attribution, prepare the wording before the stream starts. This makes it easier to update the description and respond accurately if a claim appears.

Add a looping Media Source for one track

This is the shortest OBS workflow when one file contains the music you want to repeat.

1. Open OBS and select the scene in which the music should play.
2. In the Sources panel, select the add button and choose Media Source.
3. Give the source a clear name such as Background music.
4. In the source properties, choose the local audio file.
5. Enable Loop.
6. Apply the settings and watch the Audio Mixer for movement.

The Loop setting tells OBS to start the file again when it reaches the end. It does not make the source available in every scene automatically. If the source exists only in one scene, it can play only while that scene is active and the source is included in the stream mix.

Use a file path that will remain unchanged during the broadcast. If you are preparing a devotional channel, for example, you might keep the licensed bhajan bed in a dedicated folder beside the video files, with a filename that does not change after OBS has been configured. Avoid replacing the file while OBS is using it unless you have checked how your version handles the change.

A single looping file can be a compiled set of tracks rather than one musical performance. If you compile it yourself, listen through the joins before the live test. A pause at the end of the file will be repeated every time it loops, so a seemingly small gap can become noticeable during an overnight broadcast.

If OBS reports an unsupported file or fails to load it, check the format and file path first. The troubleshooting steps in how to fix unsupported video format errors in OBS are relevant because a media source can fail before the audio mixer receives anything.

Set up a VLC Video Source for multiple tracks

Use VLC Video Source when you want OBS to manage a collection of separate files. This requires VLC to be installed on the same computer as OBS. If OBS cannot find VLC, install the compatible version and reopen OBS before configuring the source.

To create the playlist:

1. Select the scene where the music should play.
2. Add a VLC Video Source from the Sources panel.
3. Name it clearly, such as Music playlist.
4. In the source properties, add the music files to the playlist.
5. Enable Loop Playlist if the collection should begin again after the last track.
6. Enable shuffle if you want a different order rather than the listed order.
7. Apply the settings and confirm that the mixer shows audio when a track starts.

Use absolute, stable file locations for the tracks. If you move a folder or disconnect its drive, VLC may retain the playlist entries but have nothing to open. Check the playlist after any change to the music folder.

Looping and shuffle serve different purposes. Looping repeats the playlist in its existing order. Shuffle changes the order, which can reduce repetition for a long collection, but it makes it harder to predict which track will play next. For a prayer, study or local information channel with a planned sequence, leave shuffle off. For a general ambience station, shuffle may be more suitable if every track has been checked for level and licence.

Do not assume that adding a file to the VLC playlist makes it audible. The source still has to be active in the current scene, unmuted, and routed to the stream mix. Test one known track before adding a large collection. That separates a VLC configuration problem from a missing or unsuitable file.

If your stream contains recorded programmes as well as music, keep the playlist source separate from the video sources. This makes it easier to mute or hide the music during a programme and to identify the correct mixer channel when a video already contains its own audio.

Keep the source active across scene transitions

A frequent reason for silence between videos is that the music source was added to only one scene. OBS does not make a source global merely because it has the same name in another scene. Each active scene has its own source arrangement, and the audio must be present in the scene currently being sent to YouTube.

You have two practical arrangements. Add the same music source to each scene that needs it, or create a separate music scene and use it as part of a shared or nested scene design. The first approach is easy to understand but requires repeated updates. The second can reduce duplication when your scene structure supports it, but you must confirm how visibility and transitions behave in your particular layout.

For a simple recorded-video channel, you might have a Video A scene, a Transition scene and a Video B scene. If the music should play only during the transition, add it to Transition and leave it out of the video scenes. If it should run underneath all three, the source needs to be covered by the active scene structure throughout the handover.

Check the Media Source properties for behaviour when the source becomes inactive. OBS provides settings related to restarting playback and closing the file when inactive. A source that restarts when it becomes active may begin from the first second after every scene change. That may be correct for a short transition sting, but it is usually not what you want for a continuous background bed.

VLC source visibility can also affect whether playback continues while a source is hidden. Decide deliberately whether the playlist should keep its position when the scene changes or start again. Then perform an actual transition test rather than relying on the source's name or the mixer appearance.

If your main concern is the wider continuity of a recorded stream, how to make a YouTube live playlist loop continuously offers a useful comparison of playlist behaviour. Music continuity still depends on the active OBS scenes and their audio routing.

Confirm that the music reaches the stream mix

Seeing a source in the Sources panel is not enough. Look at the Audio Mixer while the music is playing. The channel should show activity, and it should not be muted. If you use monitoring, remember that hearing the audio locally does not prove that YouTube is receiving it; the source must also be included in the stream's output mix.

Keep the music behind speech and programme audio. There is no universal fader position that works for every file, because tracks have different mastering, loudness and low-frequency content. Start with music clearly below the main content, then listen to the combined result rather than judging music in isolation.

Use the mixer to check three moments: music alone, a video with its own sound, and the transition between them. If the music disappears when the video starts, that may be intentional. If it is meant to continue underneath, check whether the video scene contains the music source and whether another source is muting or changing the mix.

If the video already contains background music, adding a second track can make the result crowded. Decide whether the original soundtrack or the separate OBS source should be heard. For a lecture, news loop or devotional programme with spoken content, a lower and less busy bed is generally easier to follow than two full music tracks at once.

Make one change at a time. First confirm that the source is unmuted. Then check that the correct scene is active. Then check the source properties and file path. Finally check the stream output. Changing the file, scene structure and mixer levels together makes it difficult to identify the cause.

Test playback and troubleshoot silence

Run the test before the scheduled broadcast, including at least one scene change. An unlisted YouTube stream is useful for checking the path from OBS to YouTube without presenting the test as your public programme. You can also use OBS's local audio indicators, but do not treat a moving meter as proof that the public stream contains the sound.

Use this order when there is silence:

• Confirm that the file plays outside OBS and that its location has not changed.
• Confirm that the Media Source has Loop enabled, or that the VLC playlist has tracks and the required loop setting.
• Check that the source is visible or active in the scene currently on air.
• Check that the mixer channel is not muted and that its level is not effectively at zero.
• Check whether the source has been assigned a monitoring or output setting that excludes it from the stream mix.
• Watch for a second audio source that is muted, hidden or configured differently in another scene.
• Transition to the next scene and confirm whether the audio continues, restarts or stops as intended.

If one track plays but stops at the end, return to the source properties and check Loop. If a playlist ends after its final item, check Loop Playlist rather than the single-file Loop control. If the first track starts again at every transition, review the source's inactive and restart behaviour.

If the mixer moves but the YouTube test is silent, inspect the stream output configuration and test again. If YouTube plays the music but the local monitoring is silent, inspect monitoring separately. These are different paths, so local headphones are not a required part of the basic setup and cannot alone verify what the audience receives.

For an overnight broadcast, leave the test running long enough to cover a complete file or playlist cycle and several scene changes. Pay attention to the exact handover point, because a source can work in the first scene and disappear in the next. A written scene map helps: record which scenes should contain music, which should mute it, and whether each source should resume or restart.

Plan the handover for a 24/7 channel

Background music is often used to cover a gap between recorded videos, but the cleanest result comes from treating it as part of the programme design. Decide whether the music is a transition layer, a continuous bed, or the main content during idle periods. Each choice changes where the source belongs and how it should behave when a video begins.

For a local news loop, you may want music only while the next bulletin loads. For a study channel, a quiet bed might continue under a long visual loop. For a bhajan channel, the music itself may be the programme, with video scenes used mainly to present artwork or lyrics. Write down the intended behaviour before building scenes so that a restart at a transition does not become an accidental feature.

Keep the audio files and permission notes together. If you later replace a track, check the new file's terms rather than assuming the old permission follows it. If a track is removed from a service or its licence changes, take it out of the playlist and test the replacement before the next live session.

If you do not want a computer running OBS throughout the day and night, StreamNeo removes the repeated local operation of uploading a prepared video, adding your YouTube stream key and leaving the broadcast to run with automatic monitoring and restart. It is YouTube-only, so you still need to prepare the file and confirm that every piece of music in it is permitted for the intended live and replay use.

Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.

FAQ

Can I use any music labelled royalty-free?

No. That label does not by itself explain whether YouTube live streams, archived replays, territories or Content ID are covered. Read the current licence and keep evidence of permission before adding the track to OBS.

Should I use Media Source or VLC Video Source?

Use Media Source for one local file, including a precompiled music bed, and enable Loop. Use VLC Video Source when you want separate tracks with playlist looping or shuffle, provided VLC is installed and compatible with OBS.

Why does the music play in one scene but not another?

The source may exist only in the first scene, or it may be hidden, muted or routed differently in the second. Add or share the source deliberately across the required scenes, then test the actual transition while watching the mixer.

Does a licence guarantee that YouTube will not interrupt the stream?

No. YouTube can scan live streams for third-party content, and its guidance says that licensed content may still require the rights owner's Content ID allowlisting. Check the current official guidance and contact the rights owner where that process applies.