Types Of Insurance Coverage Some Piano Instruments May Need

Many households in the US have pianos sitting right in the center of their living rooms. Some people play them as a hobby. Some are professional pianists, while some have got theirs as a part of their family legacy. Some people also have in-home music recording studios housing many musical instruments, including the piano. It goes without saying that pianos are expensive. And the cost of repairing or replacing them may also burn holes in your savings.

In light of the expenses involving buying or repairing a new piano if it is damaged, many musical instrument owners think - it is necessary to purchase a separate Piano Insurance policy, or can they count on their home or renters insurance plan to cover the same?

Although the latter (home or renter insurance plan) covers musical instruments in case of damage, there are some crucial pointers that you should be aware of. Your home insurance plan, like most non-specific plans, is likely to cover your piano up to a certain value, a limited one. And it often does not cover accidental damages.

So, if your piano is highly-valued, make sure to buy it a dedicated insurance plan instead of considering your home insurance. Your musical instruments need more protection than you think they need. And, in case you fail to get it the same, you are more likely to end up hitting a rough patch if something happens to your gears.

Let us find out the type of insurance coverage your piano may need. Keep reading.

Public Liability Cover

If you are a paid performer or a professional musician with the crowd all around almost all the time, you should not ignore the importance of public liability cover.

For example, an organization hired you to perform in a public gig. While everything was going well, someone from the audience got injured. It was due to an amplifier falling over his head out of the blue. Even if it was an unfortunate accident, you were held responsible for the mishap, and the third party (the injured person or his family) filed a compensation claim against you.

Counting the cost of medical bills and legal fees can be detrimental to your finances. It is where public liability cover comes into play. This cover will take care of all the expenses incurred due to the given accident. You will not have to shell out even a penny out of your pocket.

Also, it is a misconception that only professional piano players or musicians need this cover. However, the reality is everyone who owns a musical instrument should consider getting the public liability cover.

Property Damage

Picture this: Scenarios #1 There is a minor fire in your home. You may not learn or realize later on that your piano also suffered considerable smoke damage caused due to the fire.

Scenario #2 A tree fell on the roof of your home while damaging some portions inside your home, including the grand piano.

Scenario #3 A water pipe in your kitchen suddenly burst, causing the water to flood several areas of your home, including the piano corner.

These are some of the many scenarios that may cause severe damage to your musical instruments. And as a piano is a very sensitive musical gear, it may suffer loss or damage easily. Therefore, it is highly advisable to have a separate musical instrument insurance plan for your piano instead of considering your home insurance only. Your home or renters insurance is less likely to cover your gears comprehensively. So, after something bad happens and you feel incompletely covered, it is better to buy an all-encompassing coverage.

Transportation Cover

Your home insurance plan is least likely to compensate for the expenses incurred due to transportation damage to your gears. However, such accidents are very common where your musical instruments get damaged, misplaced, stolen, or lost while in transit. What would you do if something like this happened to your gear? What if your piano is damaged while in transit? Repairing or replacing could be super-heavy on your finances for sure. And you already know that home insurance plans do not cover such cases. So, only a dedicated musical instrument insurance plan can become your savior here. It will cover your musical instruments for all kinds of damage or loss.

Loss of Income Cover

What if you are a musician by profession and it is the only source of your income? What if the musical instrument that holds the center stage of your performance is damaged, affecting your livelihood? Your home insurance will not cover such scenarios. However, a dedicated Piano Insurance plan will cover loss of income.

New Insurance Policy Benefit for Woodwinds Instrument

Did you buy a woodwind instrument recently? Did one of your musician friends advise you to get a musical instrument insurance plan to protect your gear? And, now, you are wondering what an instrument-specific cover is and whether you should buy it or not. So, you thought of seeking word-of-the-mouth recommendations from the people who you believe can help.

If you ask for word-of-the-mouth recommendations, most people are likely to suggest adhering to your homeowners or renters insurance plan. While both these insurance policies cover your musical instruments, the extent of coverage is most likely to be limited. And being a musician, you would surely do not want partial coverage. Right?

Although you can increase the range of coverage by including an add-on to your home or renter insurance, it is worth choosing a dedicated musical instrument insurance policy for complete coverage and mental peace.

Light on your wallet and mind

An instrument-specific insurance plan, like Woodwinds Insurance, offers several benefits to the policyholders that surpass any other coverage plan. It renders peace of mind to the policyholder and a sense of relief to the wallet. As a musician, there are already many things on your dish to take care of. Isn't it? Right from working on the sheet music to scheduling musical gigs, you have to multitask almost all the time. Right? Having an insurance plan in place helps you take off the pressure from your shoulders.

Covers accidental damage

In case you have damaged your woodwind gear accidentally, a standalone musical instrument insurance plan from a good insurance provider will compensate you for the replacement or repair of the same. However, your home insurance plan is less likely to cover any kind of accidental damage. 

Protection from theft

Does protection from theft mean your musical instrument insurance plan will protect your woodwind from being stolen? Does it mean that it will prevent the theft of your musical instruments? Well. No, an insurance plan cannot prevent an accident. However, it can cover you against the consequences of such accidents. It will help you buy a new one or a replacement instrument without shelling out a penny. Remember. Your home or renter insurance plan might not help you get this extent of coverage.

Covers elements of nature

Musical gears, whether woodwinds or strings are delicate. Elements of nature, such as fire, thunderstorms, flood, among others, can cause considerable damage or loss to your musical instruments. What if your flute suffers water damage due to a flood in your area? What if someone torches your home while damaging your belongings, including your musical instruments? A Woodwinds Insurance plan will pay you for the cost of repairing or replacing your gear, unlike your home insurance plan.

Covers the cost of your musical instrument

Musical instruments are available in different price ranges. These may cost you somewhere between $10 to several million dollars. If your musical instruments are damaged or lost during an accident, your musical instrument protection plan is likely to cover the cost of your musical gear. However, your home insurance plan is likely to cover only a part of your investment.

Covers public liability

Public liability cover protects you against the possible risks of liabilities set by medical bill claims and lawsuits. If a third-party file a lawsuit against you for medical bills and legal claims, your musical instrument insurance plan covers you. However, your home insurance plan does not cover public liabilities no matter what.

Covers transportation damage

Are you relocating to another state, or are you a touring artist who has scheduled musical instruments for shipment to a new place? What if your musical instrument suffers damage or gets misplaced while in transit? It goes without saying that your home insurance plan will not come in handy in such cases. However, if you have a dedicated musical insurance coverage plan, you can rest assured. Your insurance provider will take care of all the expenses pertaining to your damaged or lost musical gear.

The final words

So, when you can avail a range of protection benefits with a musical instrument insurance plan, it makes sense to get on for your musical instruments too. If you are looking for a detailed insight into it, find a reputable insurance company to delve deep into various aspects of getting a musical instrument insurance plan.

5 Lesser-Known Facts About String Instruments

String musical instruments, also known as the chordophones, are celestial. The sound they produce when the player strikes the strings is utterly divine. No wonder strings are some of the most loved families of musical instruments. Do you play the violin or any other string? Did you know there is so much fascinating to learn about these gears?

In this blog, we will talk about some of the most interesting and lesser-known facts about stringed instruments. After going through it, you may have to consider your decision of buying String Instrument Insurance for sure. Have a musical read!

1.    Where did the violin come from?

The roots of string musical instruments span back to the ancient Greek period. At that time, there were different types of string gears, including the lyre, harp, psaltery, and phorminx. Some of these instruments were played using the bow like today. However, the shapes of the gears were way more different from what we see these days. Moreover, when and how these gears transformed into the modern-day stringed instruments, this fact is somewhere lost in the pages of history.

Supposedly, the bowed musical gears we see today were basically the evolution of the European musical instrument-making organizations back in the 16th century. It was regarded as the Golden Era of Violin Making. The foundation of the noted Cremonese School, Italy, was the pioneer in this field. The Cremonese School of luthiers first came up with the Amati design. It became the source of the designs created by the great violin-makers, including Antonio Stradivari, Gaspar d’Salo, and Giuseppe Guarneri.

2.    Did you know a good deal of wood goes into crafting a string musical instrument?

Irrespective of the musical instruments (whether it is a cello, bass, violin, or viola), instrument makers use around seventy pieces of wood for crafting a string. The neck, ribs, and back of the gear are made using maple wood. Maple wood is rigid. The top of the string is carved out of spruce wood. The spruce is softer than maple and helps create a much stronger tone than others. For fingerboard, chin rest, pegs, and tailpieces, rosewood and ebony are generally used. These woods add to the longevity of the strings.

For some people, especially newcomers, some parts of a string instrument may look just ornamental with an aesthetic appeal and not functional. However, the fact is that - every bit of wood that goes into making a gear plays a crucial role in the quality of sound produced by the instrument.

For example, you may consider the soundpost of a stringed instrument. At first look, you may think it is a simple dowel made up of spruce wood sitting between the back and top of the gear. However, did you know a string instrument without the soundpost is nothing? It is that part of a string that helps in sound production. In Spain, the soundpost is called the Alma (soul) of the gear.

3.    What's in the finish?

The finish of a violin decides the quality of sound production. Earlier, when synthetic finishes, such as aniline dyes and polyurethanes, were not available, luthiers used the natural elements. Needless to mention, but the synthetic dyes are easy-to-apply, dry-fast, and durable. However, in the early days, varnishes were oils (thickened) with a couple of additives for color. Surprisingly, luthiers had to collaborate with pharmacists for the same. Yes, you read it right.

Quite often, luthiers took the help of the pharmacists to determine what components or minerals should be added to the dye to impart the expected color. These varnishes allowed the gear to vibrate and produce sound without any confinement. Till now, it remains the same, except for the synthetic versions. So, you are wise enough to understand the importance of the finish in violin making.

4.    Why the purfling?

Do you know what purfling is, and is it so important? You will find purfling, a decorative border, on the sides of a stringed instrument etched on the top and sometimes on the backplate. This design may seem absolutely ornamental. However, the reality is something different. Purfling is done with many practical applications in mind. Take a look:

●    Firstly, it binds the back and top of the gear.
●    Secondly, it helps prevent cracks due to humidity and temperature changes.
●    Thirdly, it supports the sides of the gear and guards them against damage due to minor dents and bumps.

Such an intricately designed instrument indeed needs String Instrument Insurance for better protection.

5.    What role does graduation play?

Do you know what graduation is? It is a process in which the luthier thins the back and top of a stringed gear. Although it consumes a lot of time, it ensures quality sound production. Each slice of wood removed from the top and back of the musical gear changes the sound of the finished string. Probably, this is why musical instruments are called the amalgamation of physics and art.

7 Qualities that Sets a Music Insurance Company Apart

Buying an insurance plan for your beloved musical instruments is a big decision and an investment too. Therefore, having the right insurance provider by your side is crucial. So, how to figure out whether the insurance company you intend to choose is worth it or not? It can be a bit taxing to decide. However, do not worry. After going through this article, you will have a clear idea about the qualities of a reliable insurance provider. Plus, you would be able to decide on the most suitable one to meet your music insurance needs. Let's get started.

Qualities of a good music insurance provider

1.    Customer-oriented: What is the main reason you look forward to buying a musical instrument insurance plan? It is to get adequate coverage and support. Right? So, a Music Insurance Company should be able to help you with your needs and ensure best-in-class coverage and seamless customer care. You may read customer reviews and testimonials to understand how customer-oriented an insurance provider is.

2.    Credibility: It is one of the most important qualities of a musical instrument insurance provider. A trustworthy insurance company is committed to its clients and lives up to their expectations. Some vital questions you should keep in mind while analyzing the credibility of an insurer include the following:

●    Does the company hold a good track record?
●    Is the company reputed enough?
●    Are its existing clients happy with the policies and services?
●    Do they fulfill their promises?
●    How long have they been operating in the market?
●    Do they have all relevant credentials and certifications?

3.    Financial standing: The idea behind buying a musical instrument insurance plan is to stay covered at the time of need and get peace of mind in times of distress. Isn't it? Therefore, you would want to make sure that your insurance provider covers your musical instruments if a stroke of misfortune strikes. Therefore, fathoming the financial standing of your Musical Insurance Company is extremely important. Ensure looking for the following:

●    Do they compensate against claims proactively?
●    Who is in their underwriters' team?
●    Do they have a good claim history?
●    Are they financially well to do?

4.    Customer assistance: The customer service team makes the lifeline of an insurance company. A customer, whether existing or prospective, may need help regarding insurance anytime. In such cases, customer care representatives come in as saviors. So, a good insurance provider is likely to have a proactive customer service team. Some of the best features of a good customer service team include the following:

●    24/7 helplines
●    Multilingual staff members
●    Knowledgeable and soft-spoken executives
●    Come with the right solutions

5.    Quality products: Leading musical instrument insurance providers make sure that their products are up-to-date and competitive. They amend and improve their insurance plans according to the needs of the customers and industry trends. Some questions to consider in this context include the following:

●    Does the insurance company you intend to choose offer flexible and customizable options?
●    What is the extent of coverage of their policies?
●    Do they offer automatic renewal?
●    Do they offer quick and hassle-free claim settlements?

6.    Transparency: Brainstorming and deciding on a suitable musical instrument insurance plan can be a challenging chore. Therefore, an insurance provider should maintain the highest level of transparency and clarity, pertaining to communication, pricing, and their terms and conditions. Plus, they should also be able to answer customer queries in the best possible manner.

7.    Value for money: Musical instrument insurance is crucial for every musician and musical gear owner. So are the premiums of their insurance plans. Right? Therefore, a reliable and customer-friendly insurance company would always make sure that its customers get value for money. You may ask the following questions:

●    Do they provide discount offers on their premiums or renewals?
●    Do they have any special offers for vintage musical instruments?
●    Do they offer no claim bonus?
●    Do they increase their premiums over time?

The bottom line

These are some of the fundamental qualities you should look for in a Music Insurance Company before buying a suitable insurance plan. When a service provider lives up to these qualities, you can trust them. However, make sure to do thorough research while keeping the above pointers in mind. After all, it is about the safety of your musical instruments.