A music quiz for YouTube live streams and premieres
A live stream or a premiere already has a chat full of people waiting for something to do. Give them a link, a song and a year to guess.
Free to try. Whoever starts the game logs in with an email code, no password. Players who join a party room need no account and no app.
On YouTube, viewers often watch on a TV or a laptop and chat from a phone, which suits this game well. They see the host screen in the stream and use their phone to join the room and lock in a year. A pinned chat message with the join link does most of the work.
A premiere adds a useful twist: the countdown before it starts is a natural lobby. Open the room a few minutes before the video goes live, pin the link and let the names fill up, then play your rounds during or after the premiere. Mind the delay: viewers see and hear the stream a little behind you, so pick a longer time limit.
How to set it up here
- 1
Open the room before you go live
Start hitify.app/host, sign in with an email code, pick a deck and Party room: Year Rush and keep the lobby open.
- 2
Show the window in your stream
Capture the browser window in your streaming software and check the QR code is readable on a small screen.
- 3
Pin the join link in chat
Post hitify.app/j/ with the 4 letter code, pin the message and say it once on air.
- 4
Run the rounds
Start when the lobby has filled. Each song plays in the host tab, viewers answer on their phones, and you read out the leaderboard between rounds.
The timeline in one look
A timeline is a row of songs in release order. You hear a new song, never its year, and decide where it fits between the songs already on the row. Get it right and the row grows.
What you need
Streaming software with window capture
Any tool that can show a browser window and its sound.
Live chat or premiere chat
Where you can post and pin the join link.
The longest time limit
Choose 30 seconds per round to leave room for the stream delay.
Tips for a better game
Say the link out loud
People in the chat scroll fast. A spoken reminder after every few rounds catches latecomers, who can join before the next game starts.
Plan a short game
A handful of rounds fits a segment inside a longer stream, and viewers who did not join can still follow along.
Check the platform rules
YouTube has its own rules about music in streams and recordings. Look them up before you go live, and consider what will happen to the replay.
What streamers and communities should know
Viewers need nothing but a browser
No account, no download and no sign-up for players. They open a link or scan a QR code, type a name and play from a phone or a laptop.
The host screen is a normal web page
You show it with window capture, display capture or a screen share. There is no plugin, overlay or chat bot, and none is needed.
The app sets no player limit
The whole chat can join one room. Year Rush suits big crowds best, because everyone answers at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work for a premiere?
Yes, as long as you can show the host screen during or around the premiere and post the join link in the chat. The countdown before the premiere is a handy time to let viewers join.
Will the replay keep the music?
That depends on what is in the audio of your stream and on YouTube's rules, not on Hitify. Read the rules of the platform and decide before you go live whether the songs should be part of the recording.
Can I play the songs on my stream? What about music rights?
Hitify plays 30 second previews from music services in the browser tab of the host, so whatever your computer sound sends to your stream goes out with it. Hitify gives you no licence to broadcast music and cannot know what your platform allows. Twitch, YouTube, Kick, Discord, Zoom and others each have their own music rules and may mute, flag or limit streams and recordings. Check the rules of your platform before you go live. This is not legal advice.
Do viewers need an account or an app?
No. Viewers open the join link or scan the QR code in a browser on a phone or laptop, type a name and play. Nothing to install. Only the person who hosts signs in, with an email code and no password.
Ready to run a round for your chat?
Open the host screen, pick a deck and show the room code. You can have the first song playing within a few minutes.
Hitify is not affiliated with Hitster or Jumbo. Hitster is a registered trademark of Koninklijke Jumbo B.V. Twitch, Kick, YouTube, Discord, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Reddit, OBS and other platform names belong to their owners and appear here only to describe where you can play. Hitify is independent of them, with no partnership and no endorsement.