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Recording Studio Insurance Policy Information

Recording Studio Insurance

Recording Studio Insurance. Hip hop, pop, funk, rock, metal, country, punk; no matter the genre, music is the soundtrack of our lives and the glue that holds the world together. Whether you're an artist yourself or you just love music, you may be thinking about starting up your own recording studio.

Recording studios produce audio, instrumental, or vocal performances. Services offered include soundproof studios, control rooms and the distinct types of audio recording equipment.

The studio may provide rehearsal areas, mixing services, isolation booths, workout facilities, and other areas for relaxation between recording sessions. Engineers, technicians, studio musicians and musical instruments are also available as needed.

Some clients prefer to bring their own instruments to sessions. Recording studios produce a master recording that can be used to produce copies. Some manufacture products for distribution to consumers.

While being the owner and operator of a recording studio can be lucrative and is surely an exciting endeavor, it isn't without risks. Just like any other business owner, you are responsible for anything that goes wrong on your property or issues that the people who interact with your business claim were your fault.

In order to protect yourself, your clients, and your employees, you need to have the right recording studio insurance coverage.

What type of commercial insurance will you need to carry as a recording studio owner? How much will coverage cost? To find the answers to these questions and more, keep on reading.

Recording studio insurance protects your music, audio and production business from lawsuits with rates as low as $37/mo. Get a fast quote and your certificate of insurance now.

Below are some answers to commonly asked dance school insurance questions:


What Is Recording Studio Insurance?

Recording studio insurance is a type of insurance designed specifically for recording studios. It covers the various risks associated with operating a recording studio, including liability for third-party injuries, property damage, equipment breakdown, and loss of income.

This type of insurance is crucial for protecting the assets and financial well-being of the studio and its owners. The coverage can vary depending on the type of studio and the specific risks involved, but typically includes property damage, equipment breakdown, liability, business interruption, and theft.

How Much Does Recording Studio Insurance Cost?

The average price of a standard $1,000,000/$2,000,000 General Liability Insurance policy for small sound recording studios ranges from $37 to $59 per month based on location, size, claims, experience and more.

Why Do Recording Studios Need Insurance?

Sound Producer On Mixer

As a recording studio owner, you're liable for any issues that may arise and are associated with your business. If a fire breaks out and damages your property and equipment, you'll have to cover the cost of repairing or replacing whatever is damaged.

If a musician is injured during a session - a speaker or amp falls on their head, for example - you'll need to pay for their medical care, and if they file a lawsuit against you, the legal fees, too.

These are just a couple of the issues that you may face, and the costs that are associated with them can be exorbitant.

By having the right type of recording studio insurance coverage in place, if something goes wrong, instead of paying the expenses yourself, your carrier will cover them for you.

In addition to the financial protection that insurance provides, recording studios are required to carry certain types of insurance coverage by law. Therefore, if you aren't insured, you could face stiff penalties and possibly even lose your business.

What Type Of Insurance Do Recording Studios Need?

Examples of the specific types of recording studio insurance coverage that you might need to carry in order to protect your business include the following:

  • General Liability: If a third party is injured or their personal property is damaged while they're on the premises of your recording studio, general liability insurance will cover the cost of your legal fees, as well as any compensation that you may be found responsible for.
  • Professional Liability: Can cover you for lawsuits that may be filed against you if a client claims you were negligent, caused them financial harm or that you didn't fulfill the job you said you were going to do. For instance, if a musician claims you botched a recording, this policy will cover the related legal fees and any money a court may find you are liable for.
  • Commercial Property: Should your recording studio be damaged in an act of nature, such as a fire or a pipe burst, or if it is vandalized or broken into, this coverage will help to pay for the related losses. Your carrier will cover the necessary repairs, as well as to replace any equipment or anything else that may have been lost or stolen.
  • Workers Compensation: If a member of your staff is involved in a work-related accident and suffers an injury, this coverage will pay for any medical care that they require. It also covers any wages that they may lose if they are unable to work while they're recovering from said injury.
  • Commercial Auto: If you use any vehicles for work-related purposes - to transport equipment to an off-site location or to meet with clients, for example - business auto insurance will cover the cost of any damages that may occur if the vehicle is involved in an accident.

The above-mentioned recording studio insurance policies are just a few examples of the type of coverage you should carry for your sound recording operations.

Recording Studio's Risks & Exposures

Recording Artist

Premises liability exposures are significant due to public access to the premises and the potential for slips and falls from instruments and sound recording equipment. Electrical cords should be secured.

The floor covering must be in good condition, with steps and uneven floor surface prominently marked, and free from obstacles. Exits must be sufficient in number, be well marked, and have backup lighting in case of power failure.

Parking areas and sidewalks should be in good repair and free of ice and snow. Contracts should clearly specify the responsibilities of the client, the fees charged, and the services provided by the studio. Premises security is important, particularly if the facility operates 24-hours-per-day.

Professional liability exposures include allegations of copyright infringement, defamation of character, invasion of privacy, libel or slander, unauthorized use of names, ideas, or music, actual or implied breach of contract, and personal injury. The level of exposure will vary based on the services provided and contractual arrangements with the clients.

Workers compensation exposures on or off-premises include slips and falls, electric shock from ungrounded equipment, falling items, injuries from lifting, hearing impairment from noise, and contact with clients. Repetitive motion injuries due to computer work can be prevented with ergonomically-designed workstations.

Property exposures are moderate. Ignition sources include electronic equipment used throughout the studio, heating, and air conditioning systems. All wiring should be up to date, well maintained, and meet codes for the occupancy. As newer equipment is added, wiring should be upgraded as needed. Acoustical tiles and other sound-deadening materials and equipment should be made of fire-retardant materials.

Electronic equipment and musical instruments are susceptible to damage by fire, smoke, and water. Fire extinguishers and automatic fire extinguishing or suppressant systems should be of a dry chemical nature and not water based. Audio equipment and musical instruments are valuable and may be targeted by thieves. Security should be appropriate for the value of the equipment and the area where located.

Business interruption exposures can be high if equipment breaks down or there is a loss. Disaster planning should be done to identify alternative facilities.

Equipment breakdown exposures are moderate due to the reliance of the studio on sound recording systems. A lengthy breakdown could result in a severe loss, both direct and under time element.

Crime exposures are from employee dishonesty and theft. Background checks, including criminal history, should be performed on all employees handling money. All billing, ordering, and disbursements should be handled as separate duties. Regular reconciliation and audits are vital.

Recording equipment is extremely valuable. Some may be small and easily concealed. This equipment should be inventoried at regular intervals to verify that it is still on the premises.

Inland marine exposures include accounts receivable if the studio bills customers, audio equipment, computers, musical instruments, and valuable papers and records for clients' and vendors' information.

The audio equipment and computers should be combined for coverage because they are integrated systems. Since viruses can adversely affect computer equipment, EDP coverage with virus protection is recommended.

Equipment inventories should be performed before and after a client uses the studio as a precaution against theft. Duplicates should be made of all records and sound recordings and kept in an off-site backup facility for easy reproduction following a loss. There may be a bailees exposure if the studio borrows or rents equipment from others. If the studio provides off site services, goods in transit coverage will be needed.

Business auto exposures are generally limited to hired and non-owned for employees running errands. If the studio supplies vehicles for offsite production activities or to officers or employees, there should be a written policy on personal and permissive use of these vehicles. All drivers must have appropriate driver's licenses and acceptable MVRs.

All vehicles must have routine scheduled preventive maintenance with records maintained at a central location.

What Does Recording Studio Insurance Cover & Pay For?

Recording Studio Insurance Claim Form

Recording studios can be sued for various reasons, including but not limited to:

Copyright infringement: A recording studio can be sued for copyright infringement if they use or reproduce copyrighted material without permission. Recording studios can purchase intellectual property insurance to protect against claims of copyright infringement. This type of insurance can help pay for legal fees, settlements, and damages if a studio is sued for using copyrighted material without permission.

Breach of contract: Recording studios can be sued for breach of contract if they fail to deliver the promised services or do not fulfill their contractual obligations. Recording studios can purchase errors and omissions (E&O) insurance to protect against claims of breach of contract. E&O insurance can help pay for legal fees, settlements, and damages if a studio is sued for failing to deliver promised services or fulfilling their contractual obligations.

Personal injury: Recording studios can be sued for personal injury if someone is injured on the premises or as a result of the studio's actions. Recording studios can purchase general liability insurance to protect against claims of personal injury. General liability insurance can help pay for legal fees, settlements, and damages if someone is injured on the studio's premises or as a result of the studio's actions.

Property damage: Recording studios can be sued for property damage if their actions or negligence cause damage to someone else's property. Recording studios can purchase property insurance to protect against claims of property damage. Property insurance can help pay for legal fees, settlements, and damages if the studio's actions or negligence cause damage to someone else's property.

Defamation: Recording studios can be sued for defamation if they make false or harmful statements about someone. Recording studios can purchase media liability insurance to protect against claims of defamation. Media liability insurance can help pay for legal fees, settlements, and damages if the studio is sued for making false or harmful statements about someone.

In summary, recording studios can protect themselves from various lawsuits by purchasing different types of insurance coverage, including intellectual property insurance, errors and omissions insurance, general liability insurance, property insurance, and media liability insurance. Each of these policies can provide financial protection and help pay for legal fees, settlements, and damages in the event of a lawsuit.

Commercial Insurance And Business Industry Classification


7389: Business Services, Not Elsewhere Classified

Division I: Services | Major Group 73: Business Services | Industry Group 738: Miscellaneous Business Services

7389 Business Services, Not Elsewhere Classified: Establishments primarily engaged in furnishing business services, not elsewhere classified, such as bondspersons, drafting services, lecture bureaus, notaries public, sign painting, speakers' bureaus, water softening services, and auctioneering services, on a commission or fee basis.

  • Agents and brokers for authors and nonperforming artist
  • Apparel pressing service for the trade
  • Appraisers, except real estate appraisers
  • Arbitration and conciliation services
  • Artists' agents and brokers, except performing artists
  • Auctioneering service on a commission or fee basis
  • Authors' agents and brokers
  • Automobile recovery service
  • Automobile repossession service
  • Automobile shows, flower shows, and home shows: promoters of
  • Bartering services for businesses
  • Batik work (handprinting on textiles)
  • Bondspersons
  • Bottle exchanges
  • Bronzing baby shoes
  • Business brokers (buying and selling business enterprises)
  • Charge account service (shopping plates) collection by individual
  • Check validation service
  • Cloth: cutting to length, bolting, or winding for textile distributors
  • Contractors' disbursement control
  • Convention bureaus
  • Convention decorators
  • Copyright protection service
  • Correct time service
  • Cosmetic kits, assembling and packaging
  • Cotton inspection service, not connected with transportation
  • Cotton sampler service
  • Coupon redemption service, except trading stamps
  • Credit card service (collection by individual firms)
  • Decoration service for special events
  • Demonstration service, separate from sale
  • Directories, telephone: distribution on a contract or fee basis
  • Divers, commercial
  • Drafting service, except temporary help
  • Drawback service, customs
  • Drive-a-way automobile service
  • Embroidering of advertising on shirts, etc.
  • Engrossing, e.g., diplomas and resolutions
  • Exhibits, building of: by industrial contractors
  • Field warehousing, not public warehousing
  • Filling pressure containers (aerosol) with hair spray, insecticides, etc.
  • Fire extinguishers, service of
  • Firefighting service, other than forestry or public
  • Flagging service (traffic control)
  • Floats, decoration of
  • Florists' telegraph service
  • Folding and refolding service: textile and apparel
  • Fundraising on a contract or fee basis
  • Gas systems, contract conversion from manufactured to natural gas
  • Handtool designers
  • Handwriting analysis
  • Hosiery pairing on a contract or fee basis
  • Hotel reservation service
  • Identification engraving service
  • Inspection of commodities, not connected with transportation
  • Interior decorating consulting service, except painters and paper
  • Interior designing service, except painters and paper hangers
  • Inventory computing service
  • Labeling bottles, cans, cartons, etc. for the trade: not printing
  • Laminating of photographs (coating photographs with plastics)
  • Lecture bureaus
  • Lettering service
  • Liquidators of merchandise on a contract or fee basis
  • Mannequin decorating service
  • Map drafting service
  • Mapmaking, including aerial
  • Message service, telephone answering except beeper service
  • Metal slitting and shearing on a contract or fee basis
  • Meter readers, remote
  • Microfilm recording and developing service
  • Mounting merchandise on cards on a contract or fee basis
  • Music distribution systems, except coin-operated
  • Notaries public
  • Packaging and labeling service (not packing and crating)
  • Paralegal service
  • Parcel packing service (packaging)
  • Patent brokers
  • Patrol of electric transmission or gas lines
  • Photogrammetric mapping service (not professional engineers)
  • Photographic library service, still
  • Photography brokers
  • Pipeline and power line inspection services
  • Playwrights' brokers
  • Post office contract stations
  • Presorting mail service
  • Press clipping service
  • Printed circuitry graphic layout
  • Process serving service
  • Produce weighing service, not connected with transportation
  • Product sterilization service
  • Promoters of home shows and flower shows
  • Racetrack cleaning, except buildings
  • Radio broadcasting music checkers
  • Radio transcription service
  • Recording studios on a contract or fee basis
  • Redemption of trading stamps
  • Repossession service
  • Restaurant reservation service
  • Rug binding for the trade
  • Safety inspection service, except automotive
  • Salvaging of damaged merchandise, not engaged in sales
  • Sampling of commodities, not connected with transportation
  • Scrap steel cutting on a contract or fee basis
  • Shoe designers
  • Showcard painting
  • Shrinking textiles for tailors and dressmakers
  • Sign painting and lettering shops
  • Solvents recovery service on a contract or fee basis
  • Speakers' bureaus
  • Sponging textiles for tailors and dressmakers
  • Styling of fashions, apparel, furniture, and textiles
  • Styling wigs for the trade
  • Swimming pool cleaning and maintenance
  • Switchboard operation of private branch exchanges
  • Tape slitting for the trade (cutting plastics, leather, etc. into widths)
  • Tax collection agencies: collecting for a city, county, or State
  • Tax title dealers: agencies for city, county, or State
  • Telemarketing (telephone marketing) service on a contract or fee basis
  • Telephone answering, except beeper service
  • Telephone solicitation service on a contract or fee basis
  • Textile designers
  • Textile folding and packing services
  • Time-share condominium exchanges
  • Tobacco sheeting service on a contract or fee basis
  • Tourist information bureaus
  • Trade show arrangement
  • Trading stamp promotion and sale to stores
  • Trading stamp redemption
  • Translation service
  • Water softener service
  • Weighing foods and other commodities not connected with
  • Welcoming service
  • Window trimming service
  • Yacht brokers

Recording Studio Insurance - The Bottom Line

In order to find out exactly what type of recording studio insurance coverage you'll need and how much it will cost you, consult with an experienced broker who specializes in commercial insurance.

Additional Resources For Arts & Recreation Insurance

Read up on small business arts and recreation commercial insurance.


Arts And Recreation Insurance

The arts and recreation industry is a vital part of our society and culture, providing entertainment and enjoyment for people of all ages. However, as with any business, there are inherent risks and potential liabilities that can arise. This is where insurance comes into play.

One of the main reasons the arts and recreation industry needs insurance is to protect against financial losses due to accidents or injuries. For example, if a performer is injured while rehearsing or performing, their medical bills and lost wages could be significant. Without insurance, the cost of these expenses could potentially bankrupt a small arts organization.

In addition to protecting against accidents and injuries, business insurance can also cover damages or losses due to weather events, natural disasters, and other unexpected circumstances. For example, if a theater is forced to cancel a performance due to a power outage or extreme weather, insurance can help cover lost income and expenses.

Another important aspect of commercial insurance for the arts and recreation industry is liability coverage. This type of insurance can protect against legal claims and lawsuits if someone is injured or becomes ill while attending an event or using facilities. For example, if a patron slips and falls at a theater, they may file a lawsuit against the venue for damages. Liability insurance can help cover the costs of legal fees and any settlement or judgement.

Overall, the arts and recreation industry needs insurance to protect against financial losses and legal liabilities that can arise in the course of business. Without commercial insurance, small arts organizations and recreational facilities could be vulnerable to financial ruin in the face of unexpected events or accidents.

Minimum recommended small business insurance coverage: Business Income with Extra Expense, Employee Dishonesty, Money and Securities, Accounts Receivable, Commercial Articles Floater, Computers, Valuable Papers and Records, General Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, Umbrella Liability, Hired and Non-owned Auto Liability & Workers Compensation.

Other commercial insurance policies to consider: Building, Bailees Customers Floater, Money and Securities, Cyber Liability, Employment-related Practices Liability, Business Auto Liability and Physical Damage and Stop Gap Liability.


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