- Last Updated:
- 9/27/2024
- Chelsea Ramsey
JoAnne Hammer | Program Manager
JoAnne Hammer is the Program Manager for Insurance Canopy. She has held the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation since July 2004.
JoAnne understands that starting and operating a business takes a tremendous amount of time, dedication, and financial resources. She believes that insurance is the single best way to protect your investment, business, and personal assets.
JoAnne Hammer is the Program Manager for Insurance Canopy. She has held the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation since July 2004.
JoAnne understands that starting and operating a business takes a tremendous amount of time, dedication, and financial resources. She believes that insurance is the single best way to protect your investment, business, and personal assets.
The band is finally back together! And you’re playing your first ever public gig! Or your first gig since the pandemic lock-down, or since those creative differences last April…whatever it may be.
You’ve got your group together, a solid set list, and are preparing to share your music with the world.
Getting to this point — putting a band together — takes work. And not just the creative and fun kind where you actually get to make the music.
Being in a cohesive band, especially one that performs publicly, is more than a passion project or creative endeavor. You’ve got layers of administrative tasks as well, like scheduling sessions, renting studio or practice space, updating gear, advertising, booking gigs, and more.
These aren’t just things that come with being an artist or musician. These are legitimate aspects of running your own small business, because running your band is running a business.
And like in any business, there are also risks. Which is why it is important to think about how you’ll manage those risks before getting out of the garage and into the public.
What Every Band Needs to Know About Insurance
When performing and working with the public in any way, it is important to have public liability insurance. No matter how experienced, practiced, or safe of a musician you are, accidents can always happen.
Fans can trip and fall, speakers and equipment can get knocked over, fuses can blow. The consequences of these events can end up costing your band big, or even bankrupt the band before you even get started.
Band liability insurance can help cover these costs so even if something does happen, you can keep making music.
Coverage Included in Our Band Insurance Policy
General Liability Insurance for Bands
General liability coverage (also known as band public liability insurance) can protect your business from the cost of third-party bodily injury and property damage claims. Here are some examples of where this essential coverage can protect your band’s finances and career:
- An audience member trips over one of your extension cords and breaks an ankle
- A spectator slips and chips a tooth on your amp when they fall
- Your equipment causes an outlet to spark, leaving an electrical burn mark on the recording studio or venue’s wall
- While setting up, you or a bandmate knocks over a stack of glassware that then shatters — the glasses are broken and the flooring is damaged
Personal & Advertising Injury Coverage
This part of your policy protects against the cost of copyright infringement claims, advertising mistakes, someone suing you for libel or slander, and more. Some instances where the coverage might apply include:
- Your band name or logo ends up being too similar to an existing brand, to the point that brand accuses you of copyright infringement
- You or a bandmate make negative comments at a gig about a previous venue that end up causing damage to that venue’s reputation, and they sue you for slander
- You use another person or business’s name or image in your advertising materials without their permission
Professional Liability
Professional liability insurance (also referred to as “errors and omissions” insurance) applies to cases involving negligence on you/your band’s part. This negligence can be interpreted as a breach of contract, misrepresentation, or various performance errors. Overall, it means a real or perceived failure as far as your band providing the services you were hired and trusted to do.
Examples where professional liability may come into play:
- Your band no-shows an event that the venue advertised due to a scheduling mistake and the venue loses money
- You were hired to perform a specified set list or style of music but the client/venue does not believe you met the agreed-upon expectations
- Your audio tech makes a mistake setting up the sound system, which results in poor audio quality or damages to the venue’s property
Damage to Rented Premises
This coverage can protect your business from the cost of claims arising from damages done to rented space, like recording at a studio or an event booth. Examples of when this coverage would apply are things like:
- You rented out a recording studio for the day and accidentally scratch the paint off a wall while moving equipment
- You knock over a carafe of coffee and stain the studio’s carpet, which they then have to get professionally cleaned
- A smoky candle sets off the sprinklers and causes water damage
Medical Expense Limit
This coverage helps with minor medical expenses accrued by someone injured on your premises or as a result of your business operations, regardless of who is at fault. It exists to provide quick and efficient payments without the need for long or complicated legal proceedings.
- A venue staff member loses their balance, runs into a speaker, and has to get three stitches at a local Urgent Care
- You and a patron bump into each other while you’re setting up and they sprain a wrist trying not to fall
Products-Completed Operations Coverage
This part of your policy applies to damage or injuries related to products or services you provided after the services have been completed or products were delivered.
In your band’s case, that could apply to things like the merch you sell at a concert. Say a fan bought one of your guitar straps, but it broke, their guitar fell, and now it’s damaged. If they decide to sue, this coverage could help pay for legal defense costs
Add-on Coverage Expands Protection for Your Band
While the primary parts of a basic policy cover a wide range of potential risks and accidents, there are multiple optional coverages you can elect to further protect you, your business, and your equipment.
Equipment Coverage
Equipment and gear coverage (also referred to as ‘inland marine’ coverage), is designed to help you in the event your band’s property like instruments, speakers, or merch are damaged or stolen. For example, an audience member or patron knocks over a speaker or an instrument stand and damages it.
This opt-in policy addition can help you protect your gear investment up to either $2,000 or $5,000 annually.
Cyber Liability Insurance
This insurance is helpful if you collect or store customer information — names, addresses, payment info, etc.
If hackers manage to steal this data from your website or internet-connected device, it could be extremely costly. Not just for your band financially, but your band’s reputation as well. Cyber liability insurance can help cover the costs of dealing with data breaches and other cybercrimes.
Additional Insureds
It’s common for venues and event organizers to require your band to list them as additional insureds on a policy before hiring/allowing you to perform there. This is a smart business decision on their part, since they could be named alongside you in a public liability lawsuit if something goes wrong arising out of your performance.
Insurance Canopy provides unlimited additional insureds for $10 to any event or annual policy. You simply provide the additional insured’s information when filling out your application or come back at any time to add them to your policy from your customer dashboard.
Annual vs Event Band Insurance Options (& Which to Choose)
Insurance Canopy has a policy for you whether you have a full calendar with events scheduled throughout the year, or your band plays more intermittently on a gig-by-gig basis.
- An annual policy takes one more administrative task off your plate if you play regularly
- An event policy might work best for you if you only perform here or there / occasionally
Let’s break down some key aspects of each.
Annual (from $18.50/month or $199/year):
- 365 days of coverage
- Gear and equipment coverage option
- $2 million general liability
- Online application
- Instant Certificate of Insurance (COI)
- Includes up to 10 band members
- Monthly payment plan options available
Event (from $59/event):
- 1-3 days of coverage
- $2 million general liability
- Online application
- Instant Certificate of Insurance (COI)
You can add additional insureds for a one time fee of $10 with either type of policy. When comparing policy choices, keep in mind that annual policies have the option to add on gear and equipment coverage, whereas event policies do not.
What to Do When You’re Ready to Insure Your Band
Protect your band year-round from $18.50 a month or get the event coverage you need starting from $59:
When you’re ready, you can get insured in 10 minutes or less. For an annual policy, choose the musician/band option on the first page of the online application:
- Indicate the number of bandmates and whether your band’s estimated annual earnings ar above or below $50,000
- Choose whether to add equipment coverage to your policy
- Review your coverage selections and policy details
- Provide your personal info (name, phone, email, etc.) and your business/band information
- Add additional insureds and/or opt-in to additional coverage you want (you can also do either of these later from your dashboard)
- Choose the date you’d like your policy to start and review all of your policy details and additions
- Check out – and select to pay monthly or annually. That’s it!
To buy an event policy, begin your event application by selecting the musician/band button:
- Choose if you’re a duo or a group
- Provide your contact and business information
- Add additional insureds (or you can do this later)
- Opt-in to excess liability coverage if you want or need it
- Choose your start date and review your coverage selections and details
- Check out and receive your Certificate of Insurance!
If you have any questions about the band insurance policy in general or how to fill out the application, feel free to reach out to licensed insurance agents.
Chelsea Ramsey | Copywriter
Ohio-based copywriter Chelsea Ramsey leverages her experiences as an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified personal trainer, a role-playing game writer, and a former auto claims adjuster. She holds a bachelor’s in English from Ohio State University and a TEFL certification from Oxford Seminars. Before working at Veracity, Chelsea wrote for Zulily and trained with clients at her local community center. Fully trained on Insurance Canopy’s coverage, she now writes to assist fitness professionals and entertainers in finding their ideal insurance policies.
Ohio-based copywriter Chelsea Ramsey leverages her experiences as an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified personal trainer, a role-playing game writer, and a former auto claims adjuster. She holds a bachelor’s in English from Ohio State University and a TEFL certification from Oxford Seminars. Before working at Veracity, Chelsea wrote for Zulily and trained with clients at her local community center. Fully trained on Insurance Canopy’s coverage, she now writes to assist fitness professionals and entertainers in finding their ideal insurance policies.
