From - Thu Jan 30 17:38:54 1997 From: Nick Batzdorf Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro Subject: Re: Equipment Insurance Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 17:36:57 +0000 Organization: Recording magazine Ron Hillman wrote: > > There is a company in LA called Vansa, 818 763-9365 > > 1st 3k $5 per $100/ above 3k $1.20 per $100 any one piece that is valued over > 5k/$1.45 per $100 > > $250 deductible, and get this $1000 deductible for any theft. That's pretty good. I found it worth joining the musician's union and getting their insurance. For the amount of insurance I cover, it's cheaper than Vansa, but after joining the union it's about the same - plus you get all the other benefits of being in the union (such as paying dues, dealing with people who don't...I'd better stop!). -- __ Nick Batzdorf, editor Recording magazine - the magazine for the recording musician Editorial: (US) 818/905-9101, fax -5434 ----------------------- From - Fri Jan 31 14:00:59 1997 From: E Loch Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro Subject: Re: Equipment Insurance Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 16:45:32 -0800 Organization: Quiknet Information Services http://www.quiknet.com Zack Leven wrote: > > In article <32E7A7F7.7016@nccn.net>, "D.R \"Chris\" Christensen" > wrote: > > >Start with your homeowners insurance. Often they will cover home > >studios for personal use. > > Yeah, like I own a home... > > -z- Just did this ourselves actually. We got this through a company who's name escapes me, but I can say that it is available. It's not exactly cheap, and it does classify as some kind of "renters" insurance, but if you call around you will get pointed in the right direction. Just get a fairly solid figure on the amount you wish to be covered for and for how long (by the year usually) and they'll understand that you're not talking about a nice stereo and a casio keyboard. We did have to have an alarm put in to the house we are currently renting, and it will probably have to stay in the house (apartments- good luck) after you leave. Our landlord is really cool (I've seen him twice in the two years I've lived where I do) and he had no problem with it. As long as there's some sign of forced entry, they'll even cover our stuff when we're on the road, which made it VERY worth the time, money and trouble. A lot of insurance companies will tell you that they don't insure that kind of thing, but if you press hard enough, they'll let you know where to get it. There's really no floor or ceiling on what amount they'll cover, but your rates are adjusted by the amount you're covering. Hope this helps. If you want particulars on the company, I can find out. Email me. Out, E Loch mcp@chalkhead.com --------------------------- From - Fri Jan 31 14:08:39 1997 From: Richard Hurwitz Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro Subject: Re: equipment insurance Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 18:49:53 -0700 Organization: Red-Lips Music, Inc. Pranava wrote: > > Try Fireman's Fund for a floater. My insurance agent has my stuff on Lloyds of London. Richard ===================================== ============================= Subject: Re: Insurance for guitars (was: Overhead bins) Date: 4 May 1997 23:26:34 GMT From: "Charles R. Murphy" Organization: The Murphy Group Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic References: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 Being a sales manager for a large property and casualty insurance company, I think your State Farm agent may have misinformed you. Most companies allow you to purchase "Scheduled Personal Property" coverage on musical instruments. The cost is more if you are a professional musician, but I'm sure it is considerably less than purchasing a commercial policy. Check around. Chuck Ken Ewing wrote in article <5k8m2t$je@scel.sequent.com>... > In article <3367D03E.923@uab.edu>, R.W. Atcher wrote: > >NO matter what you decide, check on the insurance regulations for the > >airline and your homeowners' while you are traveling. There might be > >some nasty surprises if you "lose" your guitar while traveling and need > >to make a claim with the airline or your insurance company. > ... ======================= Subject: Re: Insurance for guitars (was: Overhead bins) Date: 4 May 1997 23:31:39 GMT From: "Charles R. Murphy" Organization: The Murphy Group Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic References: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 Scheduled Personal Property, with most companies, usually doesn't have a deductible and pays "Actual Cash Value", which is the value at the time of the loss. This should not be a problem with guitars because they maintain their value. SPP covers ALL RISKS. Chuck ========================== ============================== Subject: Re: Insurance for guitars (was: Overhead bins) Date: 6 May 1997 02:01:58 GMT From: "Charles R. Murphy" Organization: The Murphy Group Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic References: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 I worked with Allstate and now work for Metropolitan. Both companies offer Scheduled Personal Property for musical instruments both amateur and professional. The coverage is based on appraised value. This is the maximum that the company will pay. The actual amount paid would be the value at the time of the loss. This is the same type of coverage that you would purchase on fine art pieces, jewelry, etc. Hope this is helpful. Chuck =========================== From: "Christopher T. Peake" Newsgroups: rec.music.misc,rec.music.makers.marketplace,alt.guitar,alt.bass Subject: Re: Music Equipment Insurance Needed Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 11:46:45 +0000 paul cigno wrote: > > Hi, > > Can anyone recommend an insurance company that issues reasonably > priced policies for music equipment? I have been told that a mechant > marine policy is desirable. It will cover your stuff anywhere in the > country (U.S.) that it may be against theft, fire, flood & other > damage, acts of God, etc. However, most of these policies are supposed > to be quite expensive, not worth it unless you are protecting $50K or > more worth of goods. > > Any leads or even ancedotal information would be appreciated. > > Thanks, > PC Try the International Society of Bassists. Membership is about $30 per year (as opposed to the AFM's $100 yearly dues) and they have pretty decent insurance coverage through a company named Merz-Huber. You can fing more info on the ISOB at: http://www.jmu.edu/bassists/isb.html What ever you do, make sure you get the right policy for you and your equipment. The AFM may have a better one - or someone else might... but it's worth checking the ISOB. Good luck. -Christopher ================================= From: kene@sequent.com (Ken Ewing) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Insurance for guitars (was: Overhead bins) Date: 30 Apr 1997 23:54:05 GMT Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. In article <3367D03E.923@uab.edu>, R.W. Atcher wrote: >NO matter what you decide, check on the insurance regulations for the >airline and your homeowners' while you are traveling. There might be >some nasty surprises if you "lose" your guitar while traveling and need >to make a claim with the airline or your insurance company. Very good point, and I would add that you should check your insurance *anyway*. A year or two ago I decided to check my assumption that my homeowners insurance covered my soon-to-be-obtained high-end guitars. I found out that homeowners insurance (at least with State Farm) assumes that musical instruments are of the "average" type. At the time I believe they said they estimated the value of a guitar at $250. I wound up getting a Personal Articles policy to cover my musical instruments. This kind of policy covers them for full value and applies anywhere the instrument is (whereas a homeowners policy won't cover the loss of a guitar if it is away from home, say, on a trip or down at a gig.) Another complication is whether you get any money for playing. That's *any* money at *any* time. With a Personal Articles policy, if I lose the guitar while at an event where I'm being paid for playing, the policy is void. To be covered in paid situations, I would need some kind of commercial policy that surely is a lot more expensive. I'm still getting the facts on that. The upshot is: Don't assume your homeowner's or renter's insurance covers the full value of your guitar. If you have a nice guitar, you may want to get a special policy for it. Ken Ewing Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon kene@sequent.com ...!uunet!sequent!kene [Ken later noted that such policies do NOT cover professional use.] ======================================== From - Fri Nov 8 15:26:46 1996 From: sklower@oboe.CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Sklower) Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro Subject: Re: Home Studio Insurance? Date: 8 Nov 1996 01:50:15 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley In article <01bbcd10$81295100$d95ad796@edm2>, Ed Mack wrote: }Does anyone have any opinions/experiences/prices/recommendations }for insuring home studio gear? I've got a relatively low budget studio }(<$20k), }and I use it only with my band, but my insurance company says that if we }intend to sell CDs, home owners insurance won't cover it. I insure my stuff through the Musician's Union policy with Wohler's in Illinois. Rates are something like $1.05/$100 of value, plus some relatively moderately overhead (like $25). This doesn't apply to you, but if you had more than $50K worth of stuff, then they would require you to have a UL-approved burgler alarm on whereever you store your stuff. Your instrument and mics are covered when you take them out on gigs though. (There used to be a limit of $100K of coverage, but now Wohlers says that there is now no fixed limit; not that I had that much but somebody on this list mentioned it, and I wanted to check it out. The SF Union had a separate policy through a company in Seattle, which used to be about the same cost, but suddenly went up 50%, and the local encouraged everybody to switch over.) If you don't already belong to the Union, you'll have to join, which costs $160/year here in San Francisco. ----------------------------- From - Fri Nov 8 15:27:41 1996 From: jcrose@dplay.com (Jay Rose) Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro Subject: Re: Home Studio Insurance? Date: Fri, 08 Nov 1996 10:48:52 -0500 Organization: Digital Playroom In article <01bbcd10$81295100$d95ad796@edm2>, "Ed Mack" wrote: |: Does anyone have any opinions/experiences/prices/recommendations |: for insuring home studio gear? I've got a relatively low budget studio |: (<$20k), |: and I use it only with my band, but my insurance company says that if we |: intend to sell CDs, home owners insurance won't cover it. Many homeowners insurance policies also support 'home office' riders, that insure commercially used equipment (and some other business risks). You'll have to negotiate the classification, but might be covered as a designer. You can also insure music equipment with what's called an 'inland marine' policy. If your insurance agent can't supply these, shop for a different agency. -----------------Jay Rose's Digital Playroom-------------------- Clio/Emmy Winning Sound Design for Broadcast, Multimedia 617/277-0041 fax/232-8869 tech docs, tutorials and data at http://www.tiac.net/users/jcrose ========================== From - Mon Nov 11 16:20:39 1996 From: rgeorge@peganet.com (Robert George) Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro Subject: Re: Home Studio Insurance? Date: 11 Nov 1996 19:11:07 GMT Organization: Robert George Productions call Clarion Ass Inc. 516-423-2990 =================== Posted by Bill Nunez on March 26, 1997 at 23:58:58: In Reply to: equipment insurance posted by Jason Spartz on March 20, 1997 at 15:11:29: I'm now on my third insurance company, and I think I finally have a broker who understands what I do! Look in the classified section of the Pro Sound News, and you'll see their ad. They specialize in insuring the entertainment industry and so far, so good, though no claims yet. Good luck. =================== Posted by Gary Green on March 21, 1997 at 16:52:59: In Reply to: equipment insurance posted by Jason Spartz on March 20, 1997 at 15:11:29: : Hello, : Insurance for a equipment is a gray area I am finding out. What are other : people doing who have P.A.'s going into clubs and outdoor setups? What is : covered and what is not? How much is it costing you (ballpark)? If there : is a theft, fire, or some sort of other damage, how difficult has it been to : work things thru with your insurance company? What coverage and with who, : do you recommend? : Thanks, : Jason Spartz : jspartz@smumn.edu Anecdote: Last summer I had atent come down at a festival i was doing and it smashed a eawkf300plus some other stuff. The festival insurance and the tent co.'s insurance BOTH declined my claim even though it was an obvious failure to maintain the tents. Thank goodness my Erie inland marine saved the day!! DON'T trust any insurance but what YOU carry! ====================== Posted by Mark Scheuer on March 21, 1997 at 05:10:50: In Reply to: equipment insurance posted by Jason Spartz on March 20, 1997 at 15:11:29: : Hello, : Insurance for a equipment is a gray area I am finding out. What are other : people doing who have P.A.'s going into clubs and outdoor setups? What is : covered and what is not? How much is it costing you (ballpark)? If there : is a theft, fire, or some sort of other damage, how difficult has it been to : work things thru with your insurance company? What coverage and with who, : do you recommend? : Thanks, : Jason Spartz : jspartz@smumn.edu I've got an inland marine policy for my "stuff". I do 95% of my sound work with one band and the keyboard player is also an insurance agent (we've all got day jobs). I've got around $23K of coverage for about $100 or so a year, there's a deductable and it's not replacement cost, but better than nothing. Covers fire, theft etc. Mark scheuer ======================= Posted by Craig Leerman on March 20, 1997 at 16:54:58: In Reply to: equipment insurance posted by Jason Spartz on March 20, 1997 at 15:11:29: : Hello, : Insurance for a equipment is a gray area I am finding out. What are other : people doing who have P.A.'s going into clubs and outdoor setups? What is : covered and what is not? How much is it costing you (ballpark)? If there : is a theft, fire, or some sort of other damage, how difficult has it been to : work things thru with your insurance company? What coverage and with who, : do you recommend? : Thanks, : Jason Spartz : jspartz@smumn.edu Jason, I went to a broker who put my trucks, general liability and equipment coverage through one company. The savings per year are what I paid for just one trucks insurance. I went to over 30 companies in my search for savings, so be prepared to shop. While fire and other mishapps do happed, it seems theft is probably the biggest worry of production companies. Make sure you engrave everything that you own, and keep an inventory list in a safe or firebox. Also make sure the thief can see that your stuff is marked. We use a combination of security type ID tags that we get from a company named Seton, and we also use paint markers to write the company name and ID number on our gear. All of our cases are stenciled and labeled also. I've got a secret lab of engineers working on putting the Lojack system into D-I boxes now. When we have it figured out I'll let you know. Good luck! Craig Leerman Technical Director Harbor Sound Ltd =============================== Posted by Riley Casey on March 20, 1997 at 15:28:10: In Reply to: equipment insurance posted by Jason Spartz on March 20, 1997 at 15:11:29: : Hello, : Insurance for a equipment is a gray area I am finding out. What are other : people doing who have P.A.'s Professional sound companies take an " Inland Marine Policy" out on their equipment. Rates can vary enormously depending on the area your in but are often based on your gross recipts. Smaller, semi pro sound operators have been able , from what I've heard, to add their equipment to existing homeowners policies at a much lower rate. It's not unheard of to pay up to 5 or 10% of the value of the equipment each year for coverage depending on the loss rates for your area. Try to find insurance vendors that serve other entertainment businesses rather than a general broker. After you get your $1 million general liability policy of course. That after all is the difference between pro sound companies and semi pro. Riley Casey Entertainment Sound =========================== Posted by Doug Fowler on March 20, 1997 at 15:25:32: In Reply to: equipment insurance posted by Jason Spartz on March 20, 1997 at 15:11:29: If you are a homeowner many companies offer a rider on your homeowners that covers items used in conducting your business. Regular homeowners/renters insurance will almost certainly not cover you. Another alternative is an "inland marine" policy. Mine is with ITT Hartford, rate is $3.00 US annually per one hundered dollars of valuation. So, ten thousand dollars of insurance would cost you $300 per year, forty thousand worth of coverage would be $1200 per year, etc. This covers all hazards - theft, fire, clumsy stage hands, etc. This was the best deal I could find, and I looked. I finally called a broker who found it for me, you may have to do the same. Liability is extra. -doug =============================