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If you mean running your own 24/7 YouTube music broadcast rather than listening to someone else’s, a desktop audio player is not a broadcast-hosting solution. See the section on running your own stream.
Why mpv is the best fit for listening
mpv is a practical first choice when you want to open a supported YouTube livestream directly and are comfortable maintaining a command-line player and its URL helper. Its stable manual documents a ytdl hook that can use an external program to locate media from supported website URLs; the documented default executable names include yt-dlp. That external dependency matters: changes to websites can require updating yt-dlp or troubleshooting URL extraction.
This is a recommendation based on documented functionality, not a claim that mpv has been proven to run continuously for 24 hours or longer. The available documentation does not establish a comparative reliability winner or guarantee that any player will keep a live YouTube source available.
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#1 Best Overall
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Open a YouTube livestream in mpv
- Install mpv and yt-dlp using your Linux distribution’s package manager or the projects’ official installation instructions. Keep yt-dlp current; mpv relies on it to resolve supported website URLs.
- Copy the livestream’s YouTube URL. Use the public watch or live-page URL, rather than trying to extract a media URL yourself.
- Run mpv with that URL:
mpv 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID'. Replace the example URL with the actual livestream link. If the installed mpv and yt-dlp can process the URL, playback should begin in mpv. - If URL handling fails, check the helper. Confirm that yt-dlp is installed and available on your executable search path, then update it and retry. A failure to resolve a YouTube URL can come from the external helper, a changed site, a restricted or unavailable livestream, or connectivity—not necessarily from the audio output device.
For repeatable playback of a set of URLs, put the URLs in a text playlist and open it with mpv. The manual documents playlist looping; a typical command is mpv --loop-playlist=inf playlist.m3u. This repeats entries in the playlist. It does not make a single live broadcast restart when that broadcast ends, nor does it restore a connection after every possible failure.
What playlist looping does—and does not—do
A playlist loop is useful when the playlist contains playable items that end and should be played again. An active YouTube livestream is different: it may remain live, stop, become unavailable, or lose connectivity. Repeating the playlist cannot ensure that YouTube, the network, the Linux computer, or the audio device remains available.
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mpv’s manual also warns that, for livestreams, data can build up when playback is paused, runs at a slightly lower playback rate, or otherwise falls behind. If you pause a long-running live stream, monitor whether playback has accumulated a delay; restarting playback may be more appropriate than assuming looping will correct it.
When VLC or Strawberry makes more sense
- VLC: a reasonable alternative if you want a graphical, general-purpose media player. The available evidence does not establish that VLC handles YouTube livestream URLs better than mpv.
- Strawberry: a better fit if your priority is organizing a local music collection and listening to radio, rather than opening a YouTube URL directly. The available evidence does not establish that it is better than mpv at handling YouTube livestream links.
Choose based on how you listen: mpv for documented URL handling and automation, VLC for a graphical general-purpose player, or Strawberry for a music-library-oriented workflow. None should be treated as a guaranteed 24/7 uptime system.
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If you mean broadcasting your own 24/7 music stream
Listening to an existing livestream and operating your own channel are different jobs. A player such as mpv can play media; it does not, by itself, provide a hosted, continuously available YouTube broadcast. For a do-it-yourself setup, you would need a way to send a live feed to YouTube, a machine and internet connection that remain available, and a recovery plan for interruptions. This title’s evidence does not establish a tested Linux broadcasting workflow or specific encoder settings, so it would be misleading to present a player command as a complete broadcast recipe.
Before broadcasting music, make sure you have the rights and permissions needed for the recordings and compositions in every territory where the stream may be available. YouTube may detect or act on copyrighted material; permission to listen to a recording is not automatically permission to rebroadcast it. Also review YouTube’s current live-streaming and monetization rules, including its reused-content policies where relevant. No particular track or playlist can be assumed safe solely because it is available to play online.
Rank #4
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Or let it run in the cloud
StreamNeo is for keeping an uploaded-video YouTube stream running, not for listening to a livestream or broadcasting from a camera. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It runs in the cloud, so nothing has to stay on at home. Each slot streams the upload as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot; it can automatically recover if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly: $9.99 per month. Learn more at StreamNeo, or start the free first day.
Quick Recap
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