What Is a Cue Sheet?

It’s a key component of sync licensing.

A cue sheet is a listing of all the music used in a television program or motion picture, broken down by title, running time, composer, publisher, affiliation, type of usage (e.g., background, feature, theme), and other important details. Pieces with more than one composer — or a 50/50 royalty split between the writer and publisher — should also have all payable parties listed so that payments are calculated correctly.

When your music is used in any audiovisual programming, you are entitled to royalties. It is usually the responsibility of the film or TV show’s producer to prepare and send cue sheets to your Performing Rights Organization (PRO). If you’d like to see an example of what a cue sheet looks like, check out these templates at Netflix and BMI.

Want to keep up with Songtrust for frequent music and publishing updates?