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album art

How to Add Album Art to a YouTube Internet Radio Livestream

Use an OBS image source for a fixed cover or a metadata-aware source for changing album art. A YouTube live thumbnail does not appear in the video.

By DocumentaryTube Team 5 min read

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To show album art during a YouTube internet-radio livestream, add it to the video scene in OBS: use an image source for a fixed cover, or a metadata-aware plugin or browser source for artwork that should change with the track. Changing the YouTube live thumbnail alone does not put art into the video.

Choose the right way to show the artwork

What you want to show Approach What it depends on
A station logo, poster, or one album cover that stays on screen Add a fixed image source to the OBS scene. The selected image file and your scene layout.
The cover for whichever track is playing Use a metadata-aware plugin or browser overlay, such as the Tuna workflow documented by the OBS community. Your player or station must provide usable track metadata and artwork, and the chosen tool must support that input.
A preview image on the YouTube broadcast listing Set a separate live thumbnail in the broadcast setup controls when available. This changes broadcast preview metadata; it does not overlay art on the video.

Automatic cover changes are not guaranteed for every internet-radio station. Metadata formats and artwork availability vary, so check the station and playback software you actually use.

Add a fixed cover in OBS

  1. Select the broadcast scene. In OBS, create or select the scene you use for the radio stream. Add the station or music playback source to that scene. OBS supports media sources in scenes; its VLC video source requires VLC to be installed before the source is available.
  2. Add the artwork. In the Sources panel, add an Image source, choose the cover image file, and confirm. Place the image where it will be visible without covering any essential content. The exact source name and dialog labels can vary by OBS version.
  3. Set its size and position. Resize and position the image in the preview. Keep it large enough to recognize at the final viewing size. If the scene contains other visual elements, check that the cover does not obscure them.
  4. Preview the scene. Confirm that the art is visible alongside the radio playback source and that it remains in the intended position. OBS encodes the composed scene as the video sent to YouTube.
  5. Start the YouTube stream. Use your usual YouTube live setup and verify the resulting video. The image source is part of the stream composition, unlike a broadcast thumbnail.

Make the artwork change with the track

A changing cover needs a route from the currently playing track to the artwork shown in OBS. The Tuna plugin guide describes one community-documented approach, but compatibility depends on the installed OBS version, player, and metadata input.

  1. Check the playback source first. Confirm that the player or internet-radio station exposes the current track information and, where applicable, artwork. If the source provides no usable metadata or image, a plugin cannot reliably display the correct cover automatically.
  2. Choose a compatible metadata-aware source. Follow the Tuna setup guide or another tool’s current documentation for your player and OBS version. Verify compatibility rather than assuming the plugin supports every station or stream format.
  3. Add and arrange the display in OBS. Add the plugin or browser overlay as a scene source, then position and size it like any other visual element.
  4. Test track changes before going live. Play tracks with known metadata and artwork. Check whether the display updates, whether missing artwork has an acceptable fallback, and whether long station titles fit your layout.

Radio.co documents an example that brings a radio playlist or URL into OBS through a VLC source, and describes an audio-input approach for talk radio. Treat it as one vendor’s workflow, not a guarantee that every radio URL or metadata format will behave the same way. OBS’s VLC source requires VLC to be installed.

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Set a YouTube live thumbnail separately

A YouTube live thumbnail is a broadcast preview image, not part of the live video frames. You may set one in the available broadcast setup controls, but changing it will not make album art appear over the stream. YouTube’s broadcast metadata and thumbnail documentation concerns that separate preview layer; OBS itself composes the image that viewers see in the video.

Interface labels and available controls can change, so use the current YouTube Studio setup for the broadcast rather than relying on an older click-by-click guide.

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Copyright and music-release artwork are separate issues

Showing cover art does not grant permission to broadcast the recording or artwork. Make sure you have the rights or required permissions for the music and images you stream, and review YouTube’s applicable copyright rules. YouTube Art Tracks are a music-distribution workflow built from release recordings, artwork, and metadata; they are not the method for overlaying art on an internet-radio livestream.

Troubleshoot artwork that is missing or wrong

  • Cover is not visible in the stream: Confirm that the image or overlay is added to the active scene, visible in the OBS preview, and not hidden behind another source. Check the live video, not only the YouTube thumbnail.
  • VLC source is unavailable: Install VLC, then reopen or refresh OBS’s source options. OBS documents that VLC must be installed for its VLC source to appear.
  • Cover stays the same when songs change: A static image source will not update by itself. Use a metadata-aware setup and confirm the player or station actually supplies changing track metadata and artwork.
  • Wrong or blank cover appears: Check whether the station metadata identifies the track correctly and whether the plugin can use that source. Test with tracks whose metadata and artwork you can verify; matching is dependent on the input and software.
  • YouTube shows the art only before playback: You likely changed the broadcast thumbnail. Add the art to the OBS scene to place it in the video.
  • Art is cropped, tiny, or obscures text: Adjust the source dimensions and position in the OBS preview, then inspect the scene at the size viewers will see.
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