CISAC Launches AVR+ to Modernize How Music in Film and TV Is Tracked – and Paid For

Why It Matters

By standardizing and automating cue‑sheet data, AVR+ can close billions of dollars in royalty gaps and protect creators as AI‑driven content threatens to erode music revenues. The upgrade also unlocks neighboring‑rights payments, delivering a more complete revenue stream for performers and record labels.

Key Takeaways

• AVR+ introduces machine‑readable JSON cue‑sheet format.
• Integrates recording metadata, adding neighboring rights to royalty flow.
• Enables automated data validation across studios, societies, and platforms.
• Addresses €12.59 bn ($13.63 bn) royalty distribution gaps.
• Supports creators as AI threatens 24% revenue loss by 2028.

Pulse Analysis

The audiovisual sector has relied on paper‑based cue sheets for decades, a process riddled with inconsistencies that often leave composers, publishers, and performers under‑paid. CISAC’s AVR+ replaces that legacy system with a structured JSON schema built on the Global Cue Sheet Standard 2.0, allowing computers to read, verify and exchange music usage data instantly. By embedding both musical‑work and recording metadata, the format creates a single source of truth for all rights holders, eliminating the manual reconciliation that has plagued royalty collections.

Beyond technical elegance, AVR+ addresses a financial imperative. In 2024, CISAC societies collected €12.59 bn ($13.63 bn) in authors’‑rights royalties, yet neighboring‑rights streams—critical for performers and labels—remain fragmented. The new schema captures that missing data, enabling automated distribution of billions of dollars that previously slipped through the cracks. As AI‑generated content threatens to siphon up to 24% of creators’ income by 2028, accurate identification and timely payment become essential safeguards for the music ecosystem.

Industry players are already moving. BMI’s acquisition of Soundmouse and GEMA’s endorsement of AVR+ signal rapid adoption across the value chain. With the JSON schema publicly available, producers, broadcasters, streaming platforms and rights societies can integrate it today, paving the way for a more transparent, scalable royalties infrastructure. In the long run, AVR+ could become the lingua franca for global music rights, ensuring that every note used in film or TV translates into fair compensation for its creators.