Every film, TV show, advertisement, documentary, or other audio visual production uses music. Each song has its own composers, publishers, and rightsholders who deserve to be paid when their music is used. But with thousands of productions being broadcast and streamed every day, tracking every song manually is nearly impossible. So, how do performing rights organizations (PROs) know which music was used, who owns it, and who should receive the royalties? The answer is a cue sheet, a standardized music metadata document that records every piece of music used in an audio visual production and helps ensure accurate royalty distribution.

What is a music cue sheet

A cue sheet is a document that lists every piece of music used in a film, television episode, or other production, along with the details a performing rights organization (PRO) needs to pay royalties correctly. It exists for one purpose,  to route performance royalties to the right composers and publishers.

What goes into a cue sheet

A cue sheet includes essential music metadata that helps identify each musical work, its creators, and how it is used in an audio visual production.  A typical cue sheet includes:

1. Title of the musical work – The name of each song or composition used in the production.

2. Composer and publisher information – The names of the composers, publishers, and their ownership shares to ensure royalties are allocated correctly.

3. Type of music usage – How the music appears in the production, such as visual vocal, visual instrumental, background vocal, or background instrumental.

4. Cue duration – The length of time each musical work is used on screen.

5. Program details – The title of the film, television programme, advertisement, or series, including the relevant episode or programme where the music appears.

Why Music Usage Type Matters

Usage type matters as much as the song title itself. A theme played as a visual vocal performance is treated differently for royalty purposes than the same piece of music playing quietly in the background of a scene. An incorrect usage type can affect how royalties are calculated and distributed, depending on the PRO’s distribution rules. Even when the song title and ownership shares are correct.

Who fills it out, and when

Cue sheets are typically prepared by the production company or its music team, with music usage, timings, and rightsholder information collected and checked as the production is finalized. Once complete, the cue sheet is submitted to the relevant Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) for music usage and royalty processing. 

As cue sheet requirements can vary across territories and organizations, CISAC introduced Global Cue Sheet Standard 2.0 to improve consistency, followed by AVR+ in June 2026, which enables standardized cue sheet data to be exchanged in a machine-readable format. (Read more)

Why cue sheets matter beyond a single payment

Cue sheets turn “this show aired” into “this composer gets paid” by telling PROs which music was used and who should be paid. A late submission, misclassified usage type, or incorrect ownership share can delay payments or leave royalties unclaimed.

From Cue Sheet Data to Royalty-Ready Metadata

A cue sheet is only as reliable as the metadata behind it. Noctil helps rights organizations and AV businesses validate, standardize, match, and manage music metadata before inconsistencies flow downstream into royalty processing. The result is a more reliable connection between music usage, rightsholders, and royalties.