Why “regular music” causes strikes
Every major platform runs audio fingerprinting against a database of copyrighted recordings:
- Twitch: mutes the audio on the VOD and sends a notification. Repeated strikes can suspend the channel.
- YouTube Live: copyright owners can choose to mute, block, or monetize the broadcast retroactively.
- Kick: similar to Twitch; the platform’s terms require streamers to hold the rights to anything they play.
- TikTok Live: audio fingerprinting is enforced; the platform mutes flagged clips and warns streamers.
The platform’s “fair use” defenses rarely hold up for background music on a live broadcast. The safest path is to use music you have explicit permission to play on stream.
Three categories of safe streaming music
The legal terms and licensing scope matter. Pick the source that matches your use case:
- Platform-cleared libraries: music the streaming platform itself has licensed for use on its broadcasts. Free for streamers on that platform.
- Royalty-free libraries for creators: third-party libraries where the license explicitly covers streaming. Free or paid; check the license terms.
- Your own music: anything you composed or have written permission to broadcast. The strictest and cleanest option.
The list below focuses on the first two — the practical choices for most streamers.
Platform-cleared libraries
Twitch music library (Soundtrack by Twitch)
Twitch acquired the original Soundtrack service in 2019 and rebranded it as Soundtrack by Twitch. The Soundtrack app runs alongside OBS as a separate audio source; you control playback there while Twitch owns the licensing. Categories include rock, hip-hop, lo-fi, EDM, and game-genre music. Twitch licenses this music for use on Twitch broadcasts only; do not download tracks and use them in YouTube videos.
How to set it up: install the Soundtrack by Twitch desktop app, sign in with your Twitch account, add a desktop-audio source for Soundtrack in OBS, mute the app’s audio in your main system mixer (otherwise viewers hear it twice), and route the captured audio into OBS only.
YouTube Audio Library
YouTube Studio offers a free audio library with hundreds of tracks and sound effects. Each track has explicit license terms: most are free to use in YouTube videos, a few require attribution. The audio library is the safest path for YouTube streamers; you can also use it on Twitch and Kick because the licenses are usually broad enough to cover streaming.
Limitation: YouTube’s audio library is designed for recorded videos, not live broadcasts. Some tracks are fine for live; the license page says which. Read the per-track terms before relying on it for live.
TikTok music library
TikTok’s in-app music library is the only music TikTok explicitly clears for TikTok Live. Streaming music from outside TikTok on TikTok Live is a fast way to get the broadcast muted. Use TikTok’s library for the Live broadcast; you can pair it with royalty-free third-party libraries for desktop audio, but be aware the dual-source approach gets murky.
Royalty-free third-party libraries
These libraries are not affiliated with any single platform but explicitly license their music for streaming:
- StreamBeats by Harris Heller: free lo-fi, synthwave, and trap tracks released under a public streaming license. Used widely in the streaming community; Harris Heller’s license covers Twitch, YouTube, and personal use.
- Epidemic Sound: paid subscription with a creator license that covers streaming. High-quality catalog; widely used by YouTubers and streamers.
- Artlist: paid subscription, similar scope to Epidemic Sound. Strong for cinematic, orchestral, and ambient styles.
- Musicbed: paid; the license has to be checked for streaming use case specifically.
- YouTube “no copyright music” channels: many creators publish under Creative Commons; the CC0 or CC-BY license covers streaming. Always verify the license on the source channel.
Read the actual license before relying on any source. “Royalty-free” sounds straightforward but the terms vary; some libraries prohibit live use, or only cover one platform, or require attribution.
Where to put the music in OBS
The cleanest setup is to play music from a separate app (Spotify-style, but with cleared music) and capture its audio as its own OBS audio source. That gives you independent volume control in OBS, so you can:
- Duck the music when you talk (compressor + sidechain, or a manual volume slider).
- Mute music entirely during the stream if a viewer complaint comes in.
- Exclude music from the VOD if your license only covers live broadcasts (Twitch Soundtrack uses this model automatically).
Read separate audio in OBS for the routing patterns. On Windows, VB-Cable is the typical virtual audio device; on macOS, BlackHole or Loopback.
Common mistakes that lead to strikes
- Playing Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music on stream. Those services license personal listening, not public broadcasting. They will get you muted.
- Downloading “free” music from random sites. Without a verifiable license, the original artist can still file a DMCA claim. The platform does not arbitrate; the claim stands until you dispute it.
- Using a “stream-safe” playlist that turns out to include copyrighted tracks. Anyone can upload to Spotify and YouTube; the platform’s own moderation is not a substitute for checking the source.
- Relying on Twitch’s VOD mute. A muted VOD is still a damaged VOD; you lose the late-discovery value and the algorithmic boost that comes from a healthy archive.
- Playing music during a sponsored segment. Sponsors typically have stricter music rules; a single track can void a contract.
A safe default setup
- Live broadcast music: Soundtrack by Twitch (free, Twitch-cleared) or your paid royalty-free library.
- VOD audio: either the same source (if your license covers it) or muted separately in OBS for the VOD track.
- Starting-soon / BRB music: same source as live. Background music on the starting scene is usually fine if the library is cleared.
- Alerts and sound effects: original sources or libraries with explicit broadcast rights (most do).