Music cue sheet explained
What is it ?
A music cue sheet (MCS) usually refers to the complete list of the music played in a television serie or film.
MCS is used by broadcasters (such as TV and radio stations) to inform Performing Rights Organisations (PRO), such as ASCAP or BMI for USA, SACEM in France, SOCAN in Canada etc... about the audio content of the broadcasted program.
What is it for ?
The Performing Rights Organisations collect license fees from businesses that use music (TV, radio, Internet, public places, shops...etc) which it redistributes as royalties to songwriters, composers & music publishers.
To be useable and useful, a music cue sheet must contain all relevant informations to identify the author/composer/publisher of the audio content, needed to be correctly processed by the Performing Rights Organisations (PRO/PRS).
This is an industry standard process.
Why you must fill the MCS it and give it to the broadcasters ?
Because composers receive "performance royalties" collected by the Performing Rights Organizations (e.g. ASCAP, SOCAN, SACEM, PRS see complete list) from broadcasters (e.g. TV and radio stations, networks, movie theatres) when their music is 'performed' / broadcasted.
If you do not, Performing Rights Organisations can't distribute to the composer his portion of the annual fees (paid by the boadcasters)
For him the money is lost and goes to the big ones...
Submit your Music Cue Sheets so that independant music composers all over the world perceive "performance royalties" and can go on producing good music...
Download a blank standard MCS.
List of major Performing Rights Organisations :
Argentina SADAIC
Australia APRA
Austria AKM
Belgium SABAM
Brazil UBC, ECAD
Bulgaria Musicautor
Canada SOCAN
Chile SCD
Colombia SAYCO
Croatia HDS
Czech Republic OSA
Denmark KODA
Estonia EAÜ
Finland TEOSTO
France SACEM
Germany GEMA
Greece AEPI
Hong Kong CASH
Hungary Artisjus
Iceland STEF
India IPRS
Ireland IMRO
Israel ACUM
Italy SIAE
Japan JASRAC
Lithuania LATGA-A
Malaysia MACP
Mexico SACM
Netherlands BUMA
New Zealand APRA
Norway TONO
Poland ZAIKS
Portugal SPA
Russia RAO
Singapore COMPASS
South Africa SAMRO
Spain SGAE
Sweden STIM
Switzerland SUISA
Trinidad & Tobago COTT
Turkey MESAM
United Kingdom PRS
Uruguay AGADU
USA ASCAP , BMI , SESAC
Go from Cue Sheet to Royalty free music ?
Go much further on Licensing Music ?
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