RapidCue

The Industry Standard for
Cue Sheet Data Processing

ASCAP is pleased to announce RapidCue, a state-of-the-art application that allows production companies to enter, manage and electronically submit cue sheet data to ASCAP and BMI. In our ongoing effort to streamline the processing of television performances, ASCAP partnered with BMI to create both a web-based software application and an industry standard data format for cue sheets. RapidCue has been embraced by the television production community and is currently in use at many companies including CBS, NBC, Disney, Fox, Sony and Paramount.

ASCAP first realized the potential and necessity of an industry standard for cue sheets in 1995 with the introduction of EZQ. EZQ was both a database application and a file format that ASCAP provided free of charge to the production community which allowed users to send electronic cue sheets directly to both ASCAP and BMI. As technology and, in particular, the accessibility and abilities of the web advanced, it became apparent that a more robust, internet-based application was necessary.

Jointly developed by ASCAP and BMI over a four-year period, RapidCue combines the expertise and experience of the performing right industry’s largest and most technically advanced organizations. Seeking a true industry standard, we developed an advisory committee comprising representatives from film and television production companies and television networks to test the application and to provide feedback. As more and more production companies embrace the standard, this advisory committee continues to grow.

RapidCue will greatly increase the efficiency in which both ASCAP and BMI process cue sheet information. This savings in operating costs means more royalties for composers and publishers through distributions that are both more accurate and timely. It does this by allowing the cue sheet information to be uploaded from cue sheet providers instantly into our internal databases in a completely secure environment. Conversely, when cue sheets come in on paper or even via e-mail through attached files, ASCAP staff must manually re-enter the cue sheet data, which is costly and prone to error.

This is just one example of how ASCAP is leveraging technology to better service our members as we move forward together into the 21st century. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements from ASCAP over the coming year. For more information about RapidCue, please visit the Cue Sheet section of our website at www.ascap.com/cuesheets.

— Shawn LeMone, AVP, Film & TV Music / New Media


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