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Understanding Cue Sheets

By: Brian Beshears

Article Word Count: 718 words  [Comments (0)]
Total Views: 88 Views







Understanding Cue Sheets









If the mere mention of cue-sheets, synchronization royalties,




and performance royalties cause you to curl up in the fetal




position and break into a cold sweat, you’re not alone. A basic




understanding of these music licensing terms should help you




breathe easy and let you focus on what’s really important,




producing great work.









Synchronization Royalty: A licensing fee paid to the owner of a




piece of music for the right to synchronize the music with your




audio and/or visual works. Many music libraries will charge this




fee each and every time you synchronize a song in your work. On




the contrary, Studio Cutz




Music Library
offers a Lifetime Synchronization License,




also known as a royalty free license or a buyout license. This




means that we charge a one-time fee, and allow you to




synchronize the music as frequently as you like.









Performance Royalty: Royalties paid by a broadcaster on an




annual basis to a performing rights organization such as Ascap,




Bmi, or Sesac. It is important to note that 99% of all




broadcasters pay a fixed amount each year for performance




royalties. The same broadcasting fee applies whether the music




was a buyout, standard license, a popular hit song, or a




relatively unknown piece of production music. As a general rule,




unless you are the actual broadcaster (ie; television station,




cable network, etc.), performance royalties are not something




you should ever have to pay for.









So where do cue-sheets fit into the picture? A cue sheet is




merely a form filled out with the details of all the music used




in a particular program; the composer name, publisher name, how




many minutes and seconds of each track was used, etc. Cue-sheets




are required for each program that is broadcast. If your work is




not being broadcast, no cue-sheets are required.









The purpose of a cue-sheet is so that the composer and publisher




can properly collect their performance royalties from that fixed




amount the broadcaster has already paid to Ascap and Bmi. No




money is saved by not filling in a cue-sheet, and no extra money




is paid by anyone as a result of properly filling in a




cue-sheet. It is simply a means to make sure that the money




already paid by the broadcaster is properly dispersed to the




deserving writers and composers.









People often ask how a music library is able to create high




quality music and license it at such low prices. Much of the




answer lies in cue-sheets. If a cue-sheet is properly filled




out, our composers get their fair share of the broadcast royalty




pie and we can keep our licensing fees low. If cue sheets are




not properly turned in, the money goes into a “surplus” account,




which eventually gets distributed out to the most played artists




like Britney Spears and Garth Brooks.









So the next time you work on a production for broadcast, don’t




buy Garth a new belt buckle…. Take a moment to fill out a simple




cue-sheet. You’ll be helping a composer collect a buck or two




that are rightfully his, and you’ll help keep the cost of




production music affordable!




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