Music Cue Sheet Generator
Build the cue sheet PROs and festivals require
This free music cue sheet generator builds the standard deliverable that tells performing rights organizations what music plays in your film, who wrote it, how it is used, and for how long. Made for filmmakers, composers, and post supervisors preparing a festival or distribution package.
Performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SOCAN, PRS) pay composer and publisher royalties directly from cue sheets, which is why distributors and festivals list one in their required deliverables. Each cue carries a usage type because usage changes the royalty weighting: visual and title uses generally pay more than background uses in PRO payment formulas. Timecodes are listed as HH:MM:SS since PROs credit music by duration, not frames.
Everything runs in your browser and autosaves locally. No cue data, contact info, or production details are sent to any server.
One row per cue, in playback order. Duration is computed from the IN and OUT timecodes.
Your cue sheet autosaves in this browser, so you can close the tab and pick up where you left off.
Total music duration
00:00:00
0 of 1 cues have valid timecodes and count toward the total.
How it works
Fill in the production header, then add one row per music cue: title, composers, publisher, performer, PRO affiliation, usage type, and IN and OUT timecodes. The tool validates each timecode, computes per-cue durations, and totals the music running time. The PDF export lays the sheet out as a landscape table with the header block on top, the format music supervisors and distributors expect, and the CSV export opens directly in Excel or Google Sheets for productions that track cues in a spreadsheet.
How to fill out a cue sheet, and who actually reads it
A film festival cue sheet is not paperwork for its own sake. When your film screens or airs, the venue or broadcaster reports the performance to the PROs, and the PROs pay your composer from the cue sheet on file. No cue sheet means no royalties, which is why composers push productions to file one and why distributors reject deliverable packages without it.
The usage column matters more than most first-time producers expect. Background instrumental scoring under dialogue carries a lower royalty weighting than a visual vocal performance on camera, and main title and end title themes carry weightings of their own. Marking every cue as background because it is the default is a common cue sheet mistake that costs the composer real money over years of exhibition.
Timecodes should come from the locked picture, listed as HH:MM:SS from the start of program. PROs credit by duration, so a cue sheet example with sloppy or missing OUT points undercounts the music. This music cue sheet generator computes every duration and the total for you, exports a cue sheet PDF for the deliverables folder, and gives you a CSV so the same data can feed the distributor's own template when they insist on theirs.
Who this is for
- Indie producers: clear the music deliverable on the distribution checklist without buying music supervision software for a single project.
- Composers: hand the production a finished cue sheet with your PRO affiliation and publisher entities listed correctly, so your royalties actually route to you.
- Post supervisors: log cues against locked picture timecode and export both PDF and CSV so the festival package and the internal tracker stay in sync.
Cue Sheet Generator: the complete guide
It captures the production header and one row per music cue (title, composers, publisher, performer, PRO, usage type, IN and OUT timecodes), computes per-cue and total durations, and exports a landscape PDF or a CSV.
For this workflow, the central problem is clear: the cue sheet is a required deliverable that PROs pay composer royalties from, yet most productions reach delivery without one and end up reconstructing music timings from memory. Left unresolved, this creates downstream friction and slower decisions. The practical target is a complete, correctly formatted music cue sheet with validated timecodes, computed durations, and PDF and CSV exports ready for the deliverables package.
Limitation to keep in mind: It does not verify writer splits, publisher entities, or PRO registrations against any database, and it works in HH:MM:SS rather than frame-accurate timecode, which matches PRO practice but not an EDL.
Advanced workflow: Post teams fill the sheet against locked picture, export the CSV into their delivery tracker, and re-export the PDF whenever a version change moves cue timings, keeping the festival package and the internal log identical.
Step-by-Step Workflow
- Fill the production header first: title, episode, company, contact, and air or release date, exactly as they should appear on the filed sheet.
- Add cues in playback order with IN and OUT timecodes from locked picture, and let the tool compute each duration.
- Set the usage type per cue deliberately (background, visual, main title, end title), since usage changes PRO royalty weightings.
- Export the PDF for the deliverables folder and the CSV for your tracker, and send copies to every composer and publisher listed.
Use Cases By Profile
- Producer: clear the music cue sheet line on a distributor's deliverables checklist without music supervision software.
- Composer: deliver a cue sheet with your PRO affiliation and publisher listed correctly so performance royalties route to you.
- Post supervisor: log cues against locked picture and keep PDF and CSV versions of the sheet in sync through version changes.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Marking every cue as background instrumental by default, which undercounts royalty weightings for on-screen and title music.
- Building the sheet before picture lock, so every timing shifts and the filed sheet no longer matches the finished film.
- Leaving publisher or PRO fields blank, which stalls royalty distribution even when the composer is credited correctly.
Professional Best Practices
- Fill in the cue sheet the same week you lock picture, while the session files and music licenses are still open on your desk.
- List every co-composer with their own PRO affiliation; split disagreements discovered at the PRO stage take months to fix.
- Keep the total music duration handy: distributors sometimes cross-check it against the music license terms in the same package.
Treat this tool output as a decision support layer, not a replacement for authorship. Great scripts are remembered for specific choices, emotional precision, and clarity of dramatic movement. Tools help by removing noise so your energy can go where it matters: character, conflict, escalation, and payoff. If you review outcomes after each pass and keep an explicit log of accepted changes, your workflow becomes faster and more predictable from draft to draft. That consistency is exactly what professional collaborators value: fewer surprises, clearer rationale, and a script that evolves with intent.
Extended FAQ
How do I fill out a cue sheet for a short film?
Exactly like a feature, just shorter: production header, then one row per cue with title, composers, publisher, performer, PRO, usage type, and IN and OUT timecodes from your locked cut. Even a three-cue short needs one if it will screen at festivals or stream through a distributor.
What usage types pay the highest royalties?
Weightings differ by PRO, but visual vocal and featured performances generally rank above background uses, and main title and end title themes carry higher weightings of their own. That is why the usage column deserves real attention, not a default value.
Do I need a cue sheet if I only used licensed library music?
Yes. Library tracks have composers and publishers who collect performance royalties too, and the license you signed almost certainly obliges you to file a cue sheet. The library's metadata sheet usually lists the exact writer and publisher names to enter.
What is a PRO and which one should I list?
A performing rights organization collects performance royalties for writers and publishers: ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC in the US, SOCAN in Canada, PRS in the UK. List the PRO each composer and publisher is actually affiliated with; it is their registration, not the production's choice.
How accurate do cue sheet timecodes need to be?
To the second, measured from the start of program on the locked picture. PROs credit music by duration rather than frame position, so HH:MM:SS is the standard. What matters most is that IN, OUT, and duration are consistent and come from the delivered version.
Can I send distributors a CSV instead of a PDF cue sheet?
Most distributors expect a formatted PDF, and some insist on their own template. The practical move is to keep both: file the PDF as the deliverable and keep the CSV so you can paste the same rows into any house template in minutes.
Frequently asked questions
A log of every piece of music in a film or episode: cue title, composers, publisher, performer, PRO affiliation, usage type, and timing. Performing rights organizations use it to distribute performance royalties, and distributors and festivals require it as a standard deliverable.
Background music is heard but its source is not part of the scene, like score under dialogue. Visual use means the performance is seen or clearly sourced on screen, like a band playing in the scene. Visual uses generally carry higher royalty weightings in PRO payment formulas.
Many do, and virtually all distributors and broadcasters do. It usually sits in the deliverables list next to the dialogue script and music licenses. Preparing it at picture lock takes an hour; reconstructing it a year later from memory is what producers regret.
Hours, minutes, and seconds (HH:MM:SS) measured from the start of the program, with one IN and one OUT per cue. Frames are normally dropped because PROs credit music by duration in seconds, not by frame position.
Convention says the production company prepares and files it, often via the broadcaster or distributor, but in practice composers frequently chase it because their royalties depend on it. Whoever files it, every composer and publisher listed should receive a copy.
Keep every deliverable tied to your script
ScreenWeaver connects your script to breakdowns, storyboards, and shot lists, so production paperwork like this cue sheet starts from data you already have. Free to start.
Plan your production free
