Free Excel download β’ Edit online β’ Save & share with Drive β’ Export to PDF
A Cue Sheet is a standardized reporting form that documents every piece of music used in a film, television episode, advertisement, podcast, or broadcast production. For each cue, it captures the composition title, composer and lyricist names, publisher, performing rights organization affiliation, usage type, and frame-accurate duration. Production companies submit completed cue sheets to performing rights organizations β such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or SOCAN β which use them to calculate and distribute performance royalties to the composers and publishers whose music appeared in the production.
Without a completed cue sheet, composers and publishers have no way to receive royalties for broadcast performances of their work, and your production lacks the documentation required by most broadcasters and streaming platforms as a condition of delivery. Submitting a production without one can block distribution, delay licensing clearance, and expose the production company to claims from rights holders who can demonstrate their music was used but never reported. A well-structured cue sheet template eliminates the guesswork of which fields PROs require, reduces the risk of rejected submissions, and gives your music supervisor a consistent format to complete across every project from a single podcast episode to a multi-season series.
| If your situation is⦠| Use this template |
|---|---|
| Reporting music cues for a broadcast TV episode | Broadcast Cue Sheet |
| Logging cues for a theatrical or streaming feature film | Film Cue Sheet |
| Tracking music in a radio or podcast production | Radio Cue Sheet |
| Documenting music used in a single advertisement | Commercial Cue Sheet |
| Recording a live concert broadcast setlist for PRO submission | Live Performance Cue Sheet |
| Logging audio cues for a corporate or training video | Corporate Video Cue Sheet |
Why it matters: PROs match cue sheets against their composition databases by title. A mismatched title fails automated matching and the composer receives no royalty for that cue.
Fix: Look up every track on the relevant PRO's public database and copy the registered title character-for-character before completing the form.
Why it matters: Each unregistered co-writer loses their share of the royalty distribution for every broadcast of that production β sometimes amounting to thousands of dollars over a series run.
Fix: Pull the full writer and publisher breakdown from the PRO database for each track and list every credited party, even if the production only licensed through one of them.
Why it matters: Timecodes from a pre-lock cut will not match the final broadcast version. The PRO's automated validation will flag timing discrepancies and return the sheet for correction.
Fix: Treat picture lock as the trigger to begin cue sheet completion. Build it into your post-production schedule as a deliverable with the same deadline as the final audio mix.
Why it matters: Featured and visual vocal cues attract higher royalty rates. Systematically mis-classifying them as background underpays composers and may constitute an inaccurate submission.
Fix: Watch the locked cut with the cue sheet open and classify each cue against the visual context β does the picture react to the music, or does the music accompany the picture?
Enter the official production title, episode or project number, broadcaster or platform name, air or release date, and the territory of distribution at the top of the form.
π‘ Use the exact title registered with the broadcaster or distributor β not the internal working title used during production.
Assign cue numbers in a single continuous sequence from the first music entry to the last in the locked edit. Do not restart numbering at scene breaks or act changes.
π‘ Export a music-only version of your timeline from your DAW or editing software to generate the cue list automatically before filling in rights details.
Look up each track on the relevant PRO database (ASCAP ACE, BMI Repertoire, or SOCAN eMUSIC) and copy the registered title verbatim, including any version suffix.
π‘ For library music, the library's website usually lists the registered title and ISRC on each track's detail page β use that, not the display name shown in your editing software.
List every credited writer with their full legal name and PRO affiliation. Then add the publishing administrator and their PRO membership. For co-written tracks, include all parties.
π‘ If a track has three or more co-writers on different PROs, list each on a separate sub-row under the same cue number rather than cramming all names into one cell.
For each cue, select the correct usage category β background, featured, theme, visual vocal, or source. Review the picture alongside the audio to confirm the classification.
π‘ When in doubt between background and featured, ask whether the music is the focus of a scene or incidental to the action. A character reacting to a song playing makes it featured.
Pull start and end timecodes from the locked edit in your editing software. Calculate duration by subtracting start from end and enter it in MM:SS format.
π‘ Always work from the picture-locked file. Timecodes taken from a pre-lock cut will not match the broadcast version and will fail PRO validation.
Look up the ISRC for the specific recording and the ISWC for the underlying composition. Enter both in their standard formatted fields. If only one is available, enter what you have and note the source.
π‘ ISWC codes are searchable free on CISAC's public portal. Spending 10 minutes on lookup prevents weeks of delayed royalty matching.
Sum the duration column and confirm the total music time is plausible relative to the production length. Then save as PDF and submit to your PRO and broadcaster according to their stated deadlines.
π‘ Most PROs require cue sheet submission within 30 days of broadcast. Set a calendar reminder at picture lock so the form is completed before the deadline, not after.
A cue sheet is a standardized form that logs every piece of music used in a film, television program, advertisement, podcast, or broadcast production. It records each cue's title, composer, publisher, usage type, and duration, and is submitted to performing rights organizations so they can calculate and distribute royalties to the rights holders. Without a cue sheet, composers and publishers have no way to claim payment for their music being used.
The production company or the music supervisor they employ is typically responsible for completing and submitting the cue sheet. Broadcasters and streaming platforms require it as a delivery requirement alongside the finished program. In some arrangements, the post-production facility or the composer of an original score completes the sheet for their own cues and delivers it to the producer for consolidation.
Most performing rights organizations require submission within 30 days of first broadcast or release. Broadcasters often require the cue sheet as a condition of airing β meaning it is a delivery requirement, not a post-broadcast formality. Building cue sheet completion into the post-production schedule, triggered by picture lock, is the most reliable way to meet these deadlines.
Yes. Licensed library music carries the same cue sheet reporting obligations as any other copyrighted composition. The library's licensing agreement grants you synchronization rights, but the underlying composition still generates performance royalties every time the production is broadcast. Most library platforms provide registered titles, ISRC codes, and publisher information on their track detail pages to make completing the form straightforward.
A sync license is the permission you obtain before production to pair a piece of music with moving images. A cue sheet is the reporting document you complete after production to document how that music was actually used. The sync license authorizes the use; the cue sheet triggers royalty payment. Both are required β the license without the cue sheet means the composer never gets paid for broadcast performances.
The PRO's validation system will typically return the sheet for correction if titles do not match their database, timecodes are implausible, or required fields are blank. Corrections delay royalty distribution by weeks or months. For broadcast productions, a rejected cue sheet can also delay the production company's own clearance obligations with the network or platform.
Yes. Original commissioned music still needs to be registered with the composer's PRO and documented on a cue sheet. The composer should register each piece as a new work before the production is delivered. The cue sheet then allows the PRO to distribute performance royalties every time the production airs β which can represent significant income for a composer over a series run or international distribution.
No. Each episode or discrete production unit requires its own cue sheet, because PROs track performance royalties by individual broadcast event. A single sheet covering an entire series cannot be matched to individual episode air dates, making accurate royalty calculation impossible. Most broadcasters also require episode-level sheets as a delivery deliverable.
A music license agreement is the contract granting permission to use a composition in a production before filming or editing begins. A cue sheet documents the actual usage after the edit is locked. The license authorizes use; the cue sheet reports it. Both are required β one without the other creates either an unlicensed use or an unpaid composer.
A setlist records the order of songs performed at a live event for the performer's reference. A cue sheet is a formal rights-reporting document with composer, publisher, ISRC, and duration data submitted to a PRO. A setlist can be used as source material to build a cue sheet for a broadcast live event, but it is not a substitute.
A music clearance log tracks the licensing status of each track during pre-production β whether sync and master licenses have been requested, negotiated, and signed. A cue sheet is the post-production usage report submitted to PROs after the edit is locked. The clearance log feeds the cue sheet; they cover different phases of the production workflow.
A production schedule plans the timeline of shoots, edits, and deliverables. A cue sheet is a rights-reporting form completed after the final edit. They serve entirely different purposes β the schedule manages time, the cue sheet manages music rights β but the schedule should include cue sheet completion as a named deliverable with a deadline tied to picture lock.
Episode-level cue sheets are a standard delivery requirement for networks and streaming platforms, covering original scores, licensed tracks, and source music separately.
Advertising agencies complete cue sheets for every TV and digital spot to trigger composer royalties and satisfy broadcaster clearance requirements before airtime.
Podcast platforms increasingly require music usage documentation to comply with distribution agreements; cue sheets provide the structured log needed for compliance.
Live broadcast coordinators use cue sheets to capture real-time setlists and incidental music for same-day or next-day submission to PROs under live broadcast reporting rules.
| Path | Best for | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use the template | Independent producers, podcast teams, and corporate video creators with straightforward music usage | Free | 30β90 minutes per production |
| Template + professional review | Multi-episode TV productions or films with complex music licensing across multiple PROs | $200β$500 for a music supervisor review | Half a day |
| Custom drafted | Major broadcast deliveries, international co-productions, or productions with disputed rights requiring legal clearance | $500β$2,000+ for entertainment lawyer or specialist music clearance firm | 2β5 days |
This document is one of 3,000+ business & legal templates included in Business in a Box.
Access over 3,000+ business and legal templates for any business task, project or initiative.
Customize your ready-made business document template and save it in the cloud.
Share your files and folders with your team. Create a space of seamless collaboration.
"Fantastic value! I'm not sure how I'd do without it. It's worth its weight in gold and paid back for itself many times."
"I have been using Business in a Box for years. It has been the most useful source of templates I have encountered. I recommend it to anyone."
"It has been a life saver so many times I have lost count. Business in a Box has saved me so much time and as you know, time is money."
Stop downloading documents. Start operating with clarity. Business in a Box gives you the Business Operating System used by over 250,000 companies worldwide to structure, run, and grow their business.
Start freeΒ Β·Β No credit card required
