How to Fill Out a Cue Sheet for a Sync Placement Without Losing Royalties

A cue sheet is the document that tells performing rights organizations exactly how your music was used in a film, TV show, or streaming production, so they can pay the right people the right amount. If you get a placement, someone (usually the production company's music supervisor or music coordinator, sometimes you) has to fill one out. Get the details wrong and royalties either go to the wrong writer or don't get paid at all.

This guide walks through what a cue sheet actually contains, who's responsible for it, and how to fill one out correctly so your PRO can process it without delays or disputes.

What a Cue Sheet Actually Does

A cue sheet is submitted by the production company to performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS, etc.) after a show or film airs or streams. It lists every piece of music used in an episode or film, along with:

• The exact timing and duration of each cue
• How the music was used (background, vocal, theme, etc.)
• Who wrote it and who published it
• Each writer's and publisher's PRO affiliation and share percentage

PROs use this data to calculate performance royalties. No cue sheet, no royalty payment, regardless of how great the placement looked on your resume.

Who Fills It Out

Technically, the production company or network is responsible for submitting the cue sheet. In practice, the music supervisor's assistant or a music clearance coordinator usually drafts it, and they often ask the composer, publisher, or sync library to confirm or fill in the writer/publisher details directly, since production staff rarely know your exact splits or PRO numbers.

If you're an independent songwriter or producer pitching directly, you should assume you'll be asked to supply this information. Have it ready before you pitch anything.

The Core Fields You'll Be Asked For

Here's what a cue sheet request typically needs from you, per song:

If your song has three co-writers and two publishers, all of them need to be listed with their individual shares. This is exactly why having your splits locked in and written down before you pitch matters so much — scrambling to confirm percentages after a placement is a bad time to have a disagreement.

Usage Types, and Why They Matter

The usage type is the field most people get wrong, and it directly affects how much the royalty is worth. Common categories:

• Theme — Main title or end title theme music. Pays the highest rate.
• Featured performance / Visual Vocal — Song performed on-screen by a character or artist.
• Background vocal — Song with lyrics playing in the background, not performed on-screen.
• Background instrumental — Instrumental version playing under a scene.
• Source music — Music that appears to come from a source within the scene, like a radio or jukebox.

Each PRO weights these differently, but background instrumental cues generally pay less than a featured vocal performance. If your clean instrumental version ends up as the one actually used in the final cut, the usage type should reflect that — don't let a placement get logged as a full vocal cue if only the instrumental aired, and don't undersell it either if it really was a featured vocal moment.

Step-by-Step: Filling Out Your Portion

1. Confirm the exact cue timing. Ask the supervisor or editor for the in/out timecodes if you weren't given them. Don't estimate.
2. Match the usage type to what actually aired. Watch the episode or film if you can, or ask directly which version (vocal, instrumental, edit) was used.
3. Pull your writer and publisher info from your PRO account, not from memory. Typos in legal names or IPI numbers cause processing delays.
4. Double-check your splits add up to 100% on both the writer side and the publisher side. These are tracked separately.
5. Send it back in the format requested — usually a spreadsheet or online form, not a casual email with the info scattered in the body text.
6. Keep a copy for yourself. Production companies lose paperwork. You want your own record of exactly what was submitted and when.

Common Mistakes That Delay or Kill Royalties

• Using a stage name instead of your legal name. PROs pay the legal name on file.
• Guessing at splits instead of referencing a signed agreement. If there's no paperwork backing up the percentages, disputes stall payment for everyone involved.
• **Leaving out a co-writer because