The Gear Insurance Thread

[david henman]

...this is mostly for residents of ontario.

my broker is having great difficulty finding a company that will insure my musical instruments

do any of you other ontario musicians have your musical instruments insured?

what company are you using?

is your equipment also covered when it is in your vehicle?

-dh

[iaresee]

I joined the union (http://www.torontomusicians.org/) and get insurance through them. I was never able to find any other insurance broker who would insure my instruments when they left my home. At least not without creating some very special, and very expensive, rider for my home plan.

[david henman]

I joined the union (http://www.torontomusicians.org/) and get insurance through them. I was never able to find any other insurance broker who would insure my instruments when they left my home. At least not without creating some very special, and very expensive, rider for my home plan.


...i may have no option but to go that route, as well.

does being a member limit you in any way? does it restrict where you work, how much you get paid, etc?

-dh

[Jeff Flowerday]

I joined the union (http://www.torontomusicians.org/) and get insurance through them. I was never able to find any other insurance broker who would insure my instruments when they left my home. At least not without creating some very special, and very expensive, rider for my home plan.

What's expensive? My home insurance special musician rider covers $50,000 worth of gear at home and at and enroute to gigs and it's only $600 or so more a year. That's 1% per year.

[iaresee]

What's expensive? My home insurance special musician rider covers $50,000 worth of gear at home and at and enroute to gigs and it's only $600 or so more a year. That's 1% per year.
It was on the order of thousands of dollars to cover my guitars and amps while outside of my home at all times. It doesn't help me much if it grows legs in the club and my insurance stopped at the car door. In my experience I loose most things at gigs. I can hide it all well in my vehicle. Same coverage with the union costs me $200/year + union dues.

[iaresee]

does being a member limit you in any way? does it restrict where you work, how much you get paid, etc?
I guess technically I should only ever take union gigs, charge union rates. But honestly I don't think I've ever seen a 'union only' job ad outside of the theatre or orchestra scenes. And even then no one has ever asked to see my union card when auditioning for theatre productions. Hell, I'm just happy to get paid something if I'm covering a rock gig! :tongue:

So: no. It does not limit me in any way because I ignore their arbitrary limits and live my life.

Wait...there's someone knocking on my door...uhh...big guys in suits. !@#$! I think it might be union thugs!

[david henman]

It was on the order of thousands of dollars to cover my guitars and amps while outside of my home at all times. It doesn't help me much if it grows legs in the club and my insurance stopped at the car door. In my experience I loose most things at gigs. I can hide it all well in my vehicle. Same coverage with the union costs me $200/year + union dues.

...clubs are the one place i don't worry about. there is always a line of sight to the stage.

a car full of gear is too easy to steal. and its too easy to break into my studio. any professional thief knows it takes 20-30 minutes to respond to an alarm system.

i don't like the idea of having to join the union. dues plus insurance will cost me over $500 per year, not to mention the $225 initiation fee.

-dh

[david henman]

What's expensive? My home insurance special musician rider covers $50,000 worth of gear at home and at and enroute to gigs and it's only $600 or so more a year. That's 1% per year.


...i only have about $10-20 thousand invested.

who is your insurer, jeff?

-dh

[Jeff Flowerday]

...i only have about $10-20 thousand invested.

who is your insurer, jeff?

-dh

Cooperators, I don't think you have them out there.

[Jeff Flowerday]

My homeowner's policy covers musical instruments and other gear taken outside my home if it is ordinarily located within my home. The only catch is that it will cover [i]new[i/] replacement value only. If I had a vintage '52 Tele and had it stolen, they would only pay to buy a current model Tele. I would need a special rider for vintage coverage.

For items like the 52' you need to get it appraised and submit the appraisal as it's value. Something similar to Jewelry. That's what they told me to do with vintage items.

[david henman]

Wait...there's someone knocking on my door...uhh...big guys in suits. !@#$! I think it might be union thugs!

...did you rent from long & mcquade recently:eek:???

-dh

[david henman]

...why do i get the feeling that there are a whole lot of ontario musicians travelling around without gear insurance?

-dh

[Mooh]

I had to provide my insurance company with photos and a detailed list of instruments. Whether my stuff was swiped from home or away it would be a colossal pain so I'm happy to oblige. Since I work from home it's also tied into my work insurance covering the computer, books, recordings, etc.

Peace, Mooh.

[david henman]

I had to provide my insurance company with photos and a detailed list of instruments. Whether my stuff was swiped from home or away it would be a colossal pain so I'm happy to oblige. Since I work from home it's also tied into my work insurance covering the computer, books, recordings, etc.Peace, Mooh.


...this might work for me, as my studio is a business address.

what company are you insured with, mate?

-dh

[iaresee]

...did you rent from long & mcquade recently:eek:???
Funny! I love renting from L&Ms. Their Bloor St. store is always really nice. I remember this one time we were doing a live recording and I had to rent like 1000+ ft of mic cable. The guy sat there and tested every 50 ft XLR cable I took. I brought him a 6 when I returned the gear 'cause that just looked like hell to do all that testing!

[david henman]

Funny! I love renting from L&Ms. Their Bloor St. store is always really nice. I remember this one time we were doing a live recording and I had to rent like 1000+ ft of mic cable. The guy sat there and tested every 50 ft XLR cable I took. I brought him a 6 when I returned the gear 'cause that just looked like hell to do all that testing!


...there's a really cool guy in the financial department at l&m named "ratch".

he actually takes the time to show up at your gig if haven't returned or paid for your rentals, or if you are in default on gear you have financed. he is a pretty imposing character (looks a bit like a hell's angel), although a really good guy.

-dh

[david henman]

...an industry insider and friend of mine estimates the 99% of ontario musicians that are not signed to a major deal are travelling around with uninsured gear.

:eek:

-dh

[keefsdad]

I believe Socan has a program, and I think it's free to join.

[iaresee]

I believe Socan has a program, and I think it's free to join.
Hey! Look at that. They do offer group insurance benefits. Shows you how much attention I pay to the mail I get from SOCAN! If it isn't a cheque it goes into the ever growing "read this later" pile. I'll look into what they offer for gear and get back to the board.

[david henman]

...i'm a socan member - i'll take look.

-dh

[nine]

...an industry insider and friend of mine estimates the 99% of ontario musicians that are not signed to a major deal are travelling around with uninsured gear.

:eek:

-dh

That doesn't surprise me one bit.

[ENDITOL]

I use SOCAN too...the price seems competetive (i think around $1200/year for $20,000 coverage). It's worth it to me for the peace of mind.

One thing to be aware of is like any insurance company they have some weird clauses and exclusions - for instance 'mysterious dissappearance'. So if you can't prove your gear was stolen (broken lock, window etc.) you aren't covered. I suppose they are protecting against fraud or whatever but still...

You also only get 'market' or depreciated value unless you can provide recent reciepts for everything or get an appraisal from a music store.

[Mooh]

David Henman...My insurance company is Economical Mutual which also has my home policy. It helps to have as much as possible insured by the same company as sometimes there's a reduction in cost.

Peace, Mooh.

[KHINGPYNN]

Jeff said... "What's expensive? My home insurance special musician rider covers $50,000 worth of gear at home and at and enroute to gigs and it's only $600 or so more a year. That's 1% per year."


Jeff please PM me with your brokers info... name and number.
I'm not happy with my current coverage.

Thanks in advance.

Craig

[M_A_T_T]

I have an extra rider on my home insurance, but it only covers up to $25,000, and I'm pretty much at the limit.