Updated 2026-07-25 · TV Music Store
A sync (synchronisation) license is permission to synchronise a piece of music with moving images. A cue sheet is the delivery document that lists every cue in the finished production — title, composer, publisher, their PRO and IPI numbers, duration and usage — so that broadcasters can pay performance royalties to the right people. Sync gives you the right to use the music; the cue sheet is how the composer gets paid afterwards.
The sync fee is what you pay the library or publisher for the right to use the music in your production. That is the part you buy.
Performance royalties are paid separately, by the broadcaster, to the composer's performing-rights organisation (BMI, ASCAP, PRS, GEMA…). They cost you nothing — but they only reach the composer if the cue sheet is filed. That is why broadcasters insist on it.
| Field | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cue title | The Whispering Shadow | Identifies the work |
| Composer + PRO + IPI | Jane Doe, BMI, 00123456789 | Who gets paid |
| Publisher + PRO + IPI | TV Music Store Publishing, BMI, 00987654321 | The publisher's share |
| Duration used | 1:24 | Royalties are pro-rata |
| Usage | Background instrumental | Different rates for theme / featured / background |
Every composer on TV Music Store has cue-sheet information on file — legal name, PRO and IPI, and the publisher details where one exists. It is printed on the license document for the tracks you buy, so you can fill a cue sheet without chasing anybody.
No. It is paperwork, not a fee. The performance royalties it triggers are paid by the broadcaster, not by the production.
No. Cue sheets are for broadcast, streaming-platform delivery and theatrical release.
A royalty-free license is one commercial way to sell sync rights: you pay once, you get the sync right, and no further per-use royalty is owed to the library.