A music cue sheet is the list of every piece of music used in a film, episode, trailer or show, in the order it plays, with each cue's duration, how it is used on screen, and the writers and publishers who own it with their shares. The production company makes it, usually through its music supervisor or post-production team, once the picture is locked. It goes to the broadcaster, streamer or distributor and to the collecting societies, which use it to pay performance royalties to every composer and songwriter in it, every time the production airs or streams, for years.

No cue sheet, no royalties. A society cannot pay for music it does not know was used.

What goes on a cue sheet

A cue sheet has a header for the production and one row per cue.

The IPI number is how a society knows which member a name belongs to, in every country. A cue without IPIs often waits in a queue until someone matches it by hand. See ISRC, ISWC and IPI explained for the difference between the three codes.

Usage types

Societies pay different rates for different uses, so the usage column matters as much as the duration. The common codes:

Each society publishes its own list and rates. When a cue is both a theme and background later in the episode, it gets one row per use.

How to make one, step by step

1. Start from the spotting notes. Every cue the composer wrote and every song you licensed gets a cue number and a working title the day it is placed.
2. Collect the writers and splits as you go. Ask the composer and every song's publisher for legal names, roles, societies, IPIs and shares when the cue is commissioned or the licence is signed, not after delivery.
3. Time the cues on the locked picture. Measure each cue's start and end on the final cut. A trim in the last week of the edit changes durations.
4. Fill in usage. Watch the scene: is the music under the dialogue, on screen, or over the credits?
5. Check every row against the licences. Each licensed song should match what the licence allows, and the title should match the registered title.
6. Send it. Deliver the cue sheet to the broadcaster or distributor with the rest of the delivery materials, and file it with the societies in the countries where the production airs first, through their online portals or the format they accept.
7. Correct it when the cut changes. A new edit for another territory, a director's cut or a re-score needs a revised cue sheet.

Common mistakes

• Missing cues. Short stings, transitions and the logo music are cues too.
• Durations from the score, not the picture. The cue sheet records what airs, not what was recorded.
• Shares that do not add up. Writers and publishers each total 100%.
• Artist names instead of legal names. Societies pay members by their legal name and IPI.
• Filing late. A late cue sheet delays every writer's royalties for the first airings, and claiming them back months later takes work.

Keep the cue sheet with the music

The hard part of a cue sheet is not the form. It is having every writer, split and code ready when the picture locks. Aden keeps them on the music itself:

• Every cue or song is a track with its writers, roles, societies, IPI numbers and shares on its Collaborators tab, and its ISRC and ISWC in its details.
• An episode or film can be added as a mix with its episode number and air date. Its tracklist holds every cue in order with its cue time, and Download cue sheet (.csv) in the tracklist's export menu gives you title, episode, air date, broadcaster, sequence, track, ISRC, ISWC, cue time and duration per row, ready to complete with usage and shares for your society's format.
• Licensed songs are recorded under each track's Licensing, with territories, term and fee, so every row can be checked against what was signed.

See Aden for productions for how a film, series or stage production runs its music in Aden.

FAQ

What is a music cue sheet?

A cue sheet is the list of all music used in a film, episode or show, with each cue's title, duration, usage, writers, publishers and their shares. Collecting societies use it to pay performance royalties when the production airs or streams.

Who is responsible for filing a cue sheet?

The production company. Its music supervisor or post-production team usually prepares it and delivers it to the broadcaster or distributor, and it is filed with the collecting societies. Composers should ask for a copy and check their own cues.

When should a cue sheet be submitted?

As soon as the picture is locked and before the first broadcast or release, with the delivery materials. Late cue sheets can mean royalties for the first airings are paid late or have to be claimed back.

Does background music count on a cue sheet?

Yes. Every piece of music that airs is a cue, including background score, short transitions, logos and music playing from a radio inside the scene.

What happens if a cue sheet is wrong or missing?

The societies pay the wrong people, the wrong amount or nobody. A composer whose cue is missing earns nothing from it until a corrected cue sheet is filed, so check every cue sheet against the final cut.