Comments on: Protect Your Home Studio

By: Brandon

Brandon — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:37:03 +0000

I agree that renters insurance is a good thing to have, however it failed me big time… I had someone steal my $2600 24″ iMac which was my primary recording computer along with some other stuff. Was unsure how they got in, they didn’t leave any sign of forced entry… which the insurance company used as their out and refused to pay out on my claim despite the police report showing that there was obviously someone that came in and tore the place up, they just didn’t break any windows or bust my door in.

So make sure you know whats in your policy and what outs they have on your claims!

By: jamus

jamus — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:21:09 +0000

good call Neil, In New Zealand I got caught out like that with a stolen set of mics from my house.
The insurance assessor came round was all buddy buddy and told me how he like to record stuff and did I ever record people .I said yeah i like to do recording and BAM 3 weeks later I got a letter saying I was POTENTIALLY using my gear to make money so i should have had business insurance so I had voided my policy!!!!
I argued that I was a 20 year old student and didn’t make money and that I recorded people to continue learning(was all true) but they wouldn’t come to the party.
So now I read the policy about 100 times and ask a heap of questions!!!!!

By: Joe Gilder

Joe Gilder — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:11:12 +0000

Good call, Neil. Added to my to-do list…just in case.

By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:21:08 +0000

You made a great point that deserves to be emphasized: if you're making money using the equipment, there's a good chance your rental insurance won't cover it (since it is your business) by default. So, it's definitely worth checking exactly what your policy covers!

By: danielhadaway

danielhadaway — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:37:31 +0000

I second everything that's been said. As a drummer, I've had an additional homeowner's policy that covers all of my gear. A couple of times I've had cracked cymbals that were a breeze to replace. As Jamie mentioned, my company understood the replacement value of some of the gear is much higher than the price of a new one.

Now, as a renter, I literally pay something like $6 per month for $10,000 of coverage… With such a nominal cost, it just doesn't make sense to NOT insure all of our gear.

By: Joe Gilder

Joe Gilder — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:55:54 +0000

Awesome. Thanks Jamie!!!

By: jamiecerniglia

jamiecerniglia — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:52:31 +0000

I've got a rather substantial amount (for me) invested in my recording equipment. My insurance agent said that they wouldn't cover my equipment unless I purchased an additional business liability policy. Through the Recording Academy I found out about www.musicproinsurance.com They have been fantastic to work with. They get that 30 year old Telefunken 251 mic has a higher replacement value than a brand new reissue. The policy has a simple $100 deductible. When I moved few years ago, the movers broke off a knob on one of my mic pres. There were no questions asked by musicpro. If I wanted a new one, all I needed to do was pay the deductible, and I'd have a replacement. As it turns out I fought the movers to get the pre repaired, but musicpro was ready to go if I wanted a new one. They also have business liability insurance if you are using your studio professionally.