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How to Show Now-Playing Titles in a YouTube Live Video Loop

Use an OBS Text Source for a manually updated title or a Browser Source for an overlay that can read playback metadata. Test the actual YouTube output and keep music rights separate from metadata display.

By DocumentaryTube Team 4 min read

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To show the current song or video title on a YouTube Live loop, add the title as a text or browser source in the scene sent by your encoder. Use an OBS Text Source for a label you will update yourself, or an OBS Browser Source for an overlay that can read the active item from a supported source. YouTube chapters can help viewers navigate a recording, but they do not put a changing title over the live picture.

Choose how the title will update

Method Best for What to know
OBS Text Source A known sequence with few changes, or a loop monitored by an operator Simple to set up, but it will not advance automatically. You must edit the text when the item changes.
OBS Browser Source with an overlay A setup where an overlay can read the active item from a player, playlist, chapters, or another supported source It may update automatically, but only if the overlay can access the playback state and the chosen title input. Test that compatibility rather than assuming YouTube exposes the current item.
YouTube description chapters Timestamped navigation in a video description Chapters are not a live, on-video title display. Viewers use them to jump through a video.

OBS describes Text Sources as customizable text, including text from a file, and a Browser Source as a way to add a web page to a scene. Browser sources are commonly used for stream alerts and chat boxes. See the OBS Sources Guide.

Add a title in OBS

For a title you will change manually

  1. Open the OBS scene used for your YouTube Live output.
  2. In Sources, select + and choose Text. Enter the title, then position and style it over the video.
  3. For a song, a short title-and-artist line is usually easier to read than a long description. If names are too long for the available space, use a scrolling treatment only if your chosen text tool supports it.
  4. When the loop moves to the next item, update the text yourself. A static label does not know that playback has advanced.

For an overlay that can update automatically

  1. Confirm that the overlay supports the playback source and title input you plan to use. A browser overlay cannot display reliable current-item data unless it can obtain that data.
  2. In the OBS scene, select Sources → + → Browser.
  3. Enter the overlay URL supplied by its provider, then set its dimensions and position to fit your scene.
  4. Check that the title changes at the correct loop boundaries. Keep a manual text label available as a fallback if the overlay or its metadata stops updating.

YouTube documents a similar Browser Source workflow for its break overlay: copy the overlay URL from Live Control Room, add it as a Browser Source in the encoder, and set dimensions to the stream resolution. That feature is an away slate, not a now-playing title tool; it illustrates the setup pattern only. YouTube also cautions that encoder support can vary. See YouTube’s break-overlay instructions.

Check the title in the actual live output

  1. Start a private or unlisted test stream when possible.
  2. Check the preview in YouTube Live Control Room before starting the broadcast.
  3. Watch the stream from a separate viewer session and confirm that the label is legible and, for an automatic overlay, changes when the loop advances.
  4. If the title is missing or stale, check that the source is visible in the active OBS scene, that it is layered above the video, and that the overlay still has access to its title input. Switch to the manual fallback until the automatic source is working.

YouTube recommends testing a live stream and checking the preview. Its encoder guide also explains that encoder streams can include overlays and graphics.

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What third-party overlays can and cannot tell you

A community OBS resource named Music on stream lists support for YouTube chapters and video-description playlists as title inputs, alongside other services. The resource listing shows an update date of 2025-09-18. It is a third-party option, not an official YouTube Live metadata feature; verify that it remains maintained and works with your setup.

Do not assume a YouTube page title or API automatically reveals the item currently playing in a loop. The overlay has to get that information from a source it supports, and its behavior should be verified in a test stream.

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Keep music rights separate from title display

Showing a song title is not permission to broadcast its recording. YouTube says live streams are scanned for third-party content. If such content is identified, YouTube may replace the stream with a placeholder and warn the creator to stop; if it remains, the stream may be interrupted or terminated. A creator who has a license may still need the rights owner to add the channel to its Content ID allowlist. Read YouTube’s live-stream copyright guidance.

Spotify’s documentation for its currently-playing endpoint says the Spotify Platform cannot be used for non-interactive broadcasting and that sound recordings may not be synchronized with visual media. Metadata access does not authorize using Spotify audio in a video loop. Review the current Spotify endpoint documentation and policy terms before building a workflow around Spotify data or audio.

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