If you mean replay a playlist while watching YouTube, use YouTube’s playlist Loop control. If you mean keep Gujarati garba music repeating inside a live broadcast, put the tracks in a playback source such as OBS Studio’s VLC Video source, then send that source to YouTube through an encoder connection.
Those are separate jobs: the playback source chooses and repeats your files; the encoder sends the resulting live audio and video to YouTube. A viewer-side repeat setting does not control what your live broadcast plays.
Two meanings of “loop a playlist on YouTube Live”
The phrase can describe either a viewer’s listening session or the programme you send out as a live channel. It is worth deciding which one you mean before changing settings, because the controls are in different places and do different things.
If you are watching someone else’s playlist on YouTube, the Loop control repeats the playlist in your own player. That affects your playback, not the broadcaster’s output. You can read YouTube’s instructions for repeating a playlist for the viewer-side control.
If you are running a channel, your encoder needs to keep sending a live feed. The feed can be built from local media files in OBS: a playback source runs the tracks, OBS combines that source with any visual scene, and the encoder connection carries the output to YouTube. The looping setting belongs to the playback source, not to YouTube’s viewer interface.
This distinction also helps when you search for setup advice. A guide about repeating a playlist while watching may not explain how to create an encoder-fed broadcast. For a broader example of a prerecorded playlist used as a live source, see this guide to streaming Malayalam videos on a 24/7 channel. The language and tracks differ, but the division between source playback and live delivery is the same.
Viewer repeat is not a live broadcast
YouTube’s playlist repeat is useful when you want to listen to a set of songs again from your own device. It does not make a broadcast, and it does not cause a channel you run to play the songs. A live broadcast has an active encoder sending audio and video to YouTube, whether that encoder is on your computer or provided through a separate playout arrangement.
For a live garba channel, imagine you have a sequence of local files: an opening instrumental, a set of songs, then a closing track. The viewer-side Loop control has no role in that arrangement. Instead, OBS reads the files in a source, plays them in order, and sends the scene’s output to YouTube. When the playlist reaches its end, the source’s loop setting determines whether playback starts again.
This difference matters when planning what viewers will see. If your scene contains a still image or simple visual alongside the music, the source must continue playing while OBS continues outputting the scene. If OBS or the computer stops, there is no longer a local encoder feed to send. A playlist setting cannot solve a disconnected encoder or a stopped computer.
If you are still deciding how to keep a channel running overnight, the practical constraints are similar to those in a laptop-based 24/7 stream setup: the files, computer, streaming application and network all need to remain available. Consider that before building the sequence, especially if you need the broadcast to continue when nobody is at the computer.
Install OBS Studio and VLC
For several local files, use OBS Studio with its VLC Video source. Install both applications on the computer that will run the broadcast. OBS’s Media Sources documentation notes that VLC must be installed for the VLC Video source to be available. Match the VLC architecture to OBS: if your OBS installation is 64-bit, install 64-bit VLC.
After installation, open OBS and make a scene for the broadcast. A scene is the composition OBS will send: it can contain the music source and, if you want, a still image, title card or other visual source. The exact scene design is up to you; for this workflow, the essential point is that the playlist source belongs in the scene that will be sent live.
The VLC Video source is intended for a playlist of media files. If you only have one long file, OBS’s ordinary Media Source is usually the more direct fit: add the file and enable its Loop setting. The multi-file source is useful when you need a defined order across separate tracks. The table below summarises which route matches each task.
| Your material | OBS source | Repeat control | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| One long video or audio file | Media Source | Loop | Simpler setup, but the source repeats the same file |
| Several local files in a chosen sequence | VLC Video | Loop Playlist | VLC must be installed; turn off Shuffle to preserve the sequence |
| A YouTube playlist you are watching | YouTube player | Playlist Loop | Repeats viewer playback only; it is not an encoder feed |
OBS documents the Media Source and VLC Video controls in the same source guide. Labels can shift between software releases, so if a control is not where an older screenshot shows it, consult the current documentation rather than guessing at a similarly named setting.
Add garba files to a VLC Video source
In the scene you intend to broadcast, add a new source and choose VLC Video. Give it a plain name such as “Garba playlist” so it is easy to identify later. In the source properties, add the local media files you want to play. Arrange them in the sequence you have planned, rather than relying on filename order unless you have deliberately named the files to match that order.
Use files stored on the computer that will run OBS. A removable drive can work while connected, but removing it or changing its drive location can leave the source unable to find the files. Before a long broadcast, make sure each entry points to a file that opens and plays on that computer. Test the beginning and a later item in the sequence so you know the playlist is not merely displaying the first track correctly.
The source plays media; it does not grant permission to broadcast it. A garba recording available on YouTube or elsewhere is not automatically cleared for rebroadcast. Check the rights for each recording and any accompanying artwork you use, and keep a record of the permissions or licence terms that apply to your channel. This is especially relevant if the playlist includes recordings by different labels or artists.
YouTube’s live Content ID matching guidance describes how an ongoing match can affect a live stream, including warning or interruption. The page discusses a particular live matching programme and its conditions; do not treat those stated conditions as a complete summary of every copyright rule. The practical takeaway is to check the rights for your actual recordings, rather than infer permission from their availability online.
For a channel that also uses visuals between songs, keep those elements in the same scene and check what is visible when a track starts or ends. If you want to understand how source and output settings interact in another playlist workflow, the nonstop nature-video stream settings guide offers a related example. A music playlist has different rights and audio considerations, but the source-to-output flow is comparable.
Set playlist order and repeat behaviour
In the VLC Video source properties, place files in the order you want listeners to hear them. If the sequence is intentional, leave Shuffle Playlist off. Shuffle changes the order rather than merely repeating the list, so it can undermine an opening, a devotional interlude or a planned progression from one part of a set to another.
Enable Loop Playlist when you want the source to start again after reaching the end of its files. OBS defines this setting as whether the source should restart after it has run out of media files. It is not a guarantee that the transition between two tracks will be gapless. The files’ endings, encodings and playback behaviour can affect what you hear at a transition, so listen to the change in a test rather than promising a seamless result to viewers.
For one file, use Media Source and enable Loop. For a collection, use VLC Video and enable Loop Playlist. This is a small distinction, but it avoids building a multi-file set in a source intended for a single item and then trying to recreate playlist controls elsewhere.
A sensible test is to watch through a track ending, the move into the next track, and the point where the final file returns to the first. Listen on the same output path that will be used for the broadcast, not just through a file player on the desktop. Check the OBS audio meters while playback runs and listen for unexpected silence, clipping or a missing channel. These are observations to make during your test, not outcomes that software settings can guarantee.
Also consider whether you want the stream to restart at the same point after a manual stop. A local playlist begins according to its playback state when you start it; do not assume it remembers a particular position in the way a listener’s app might. If the order matters, keep a note of the intended opening track and confirm the source state before each scheduled broadcast.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live and test
Once the scene and playback source are ready, connect OBS as the encoder. In YouTube Studio, open the Live Control Room and create or select an encoder stream. YouTube’s encoder setup instructions describe the connection flow: take the stream server URL and stream key from the Live Control Room and enter them in the encoder’s stream settings.
Treat the stream key as a credential. Anyone who can use it may be able to send a feed to your channel, so do not publish it in screenshots, messages or a public setup guide. If you think it has been exposed, use YouTube’s current controls to replace or reset it, then update OBS with the new key.
Start the encoder and check the Live Control Room preview before you announce the broadcast. Confirm that YouTube receives the intended scene and that the garba audio is audible. YouTube’s live streaming tips recommend testing and previewing the setup before starting. Pay attention to the first moments of the stream, since a correct local OBS preview is not by itself proof that the live feed is reaching YouTube as intended.
The local approach has a clear trade-off: your computer, OBS, source files and network must remain available for the stream to continue. A power interruption, application closure or network loss can stop the feed. Test the workflow during the hours you intend to broadcast, and decide who can check it if you will not be present. For additional planning around an overnight setup, this full-night streaming checklist focuses on practical failure points rather than assuming a setup will simply run unattended.
If you do not want a local computer running continuously, cloud-based playout is a category worth considering. StreamNeo can remove the need to keep your own computer on for this specific repeating-file broadcast, which is useful when the local machine is the part you cannot leave running. It is a YouTube-only option; confirm that the files and channel are ready, and check the current service details before deciding whether it fits your workflow.
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
Does YouTube’s Loop button make my live channel repeat a garba playlist?
No. That control repeats a playlist for someone watching YouTube. For a broadcast, the encoder needs a playback source that repeats the files and sends its output to YouTube.
Do I need VLC for a single garba file?
No. OBS’s Media Source can play one file and has a Loop setting. VLC is needed for OBS’s VLC Video source, which is the multi-file playlist route.
Will Loop Playlist make track changes gapless?
It restarts the playlist when the source runs out of files, but that is not a promise of gapless playback. Listen to the transitions and the end-to-start point in a test before relying on them for a live audience.
Can I rebroadcast garba music I found on YouTube?
Availability on YouTube does not establish permission to rebroadcast a recording. Check the rights for the particular tracks you plan to use and review YouTube’s current official guidance, because a live stream can be affected by matching.