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Wednesday, 23 February 2022

Why Should You Get Your Piano Insurance?

Are you planning to buy a piano or have received a vintage one from your great-grandmother? Wow. That’s amazing! You might be pretty excited about it. Let us see what the statistics say.

Statistics on the market of piano in the USA

According to a leading tech company that delivers market data and predictions to help with research and business development, ReportLinker, the US pianos market was at 729 Million USD in 2020. Currently, it accounts for a 29.42% global share in the market.

Another report suggests - presently, there are around 28 million pianos across the United States of America that are already owned. The statistics include all the latest purchases. So, you can pretty much understand how popular this musical instrument is.

Pianos are environmentally sensitive.

Playing the piano flawlessly and caring for it is a great deal. However, most people overlook that apart from regular wear and tear, many factors affect the playability and longevity of the piano. They fail to understand that they should exercise various cautions to ensure that their musical instruments yield the best sounds through the years.

If you take proper care of your musical instruments and maintain them from time to time, they can provide you with decades of uninterrupted service and enjoyment. However, regardless of all your efforts and caring, weather conditions can take a toll on your piano. It leaves your keyboard to the elements of nature.

If you have been suffering or worrying about the same, there is nothing to worry about. You can prevent the potentially expensive damages and repairs with some effective to-dos. And one of the most crucial ones is buying a Piano Insurance policy from a trustworthy dealer. However, that is not all.

Let us take a look at some examples. These will help you understand how an insurance plan can come to your rescue at different points in time. Read on!

Scenario #1

If you have relocated to a new state due to work or something else and your musical instruments are far away from you, it is advisable to transport them to your current location. However, while doing so, if your piano and other accessories get damaged due to rain, slow, flood, or any other calamity, you could land in trouble if your gears are not sufficiently covered under a standalone musical instrument insurance plan.

However, in the presence of a musical instrument insurance policy, your musical gears, along with your finances, are safe.

Scenario #2

Suppose you have a fire at your home and your piano was in the same room when the fire broke. In such a case, your gear may suffer a lot of fire damage and the mars of high heat and dryness.

If your piano is covered under a comprehensive Piano Insurance policy, then you are safe. However, if it is not insured, again, there could be many problems, mainly, out-of-pocket expenses to get it fixed or replaced.

Scenario #3

Temperature is a critical factor for the well-being of your musical instruments, especially the piano. However, humidity can adversely affect the long-term performance of your gear. A little up or down in the level of humidity can cause significant damage to your musical gears.

What if your piano is not playing as supposed? Everyone cannot set climate-control devices in their homes. Right? In such cases, they should choose a proper room to keep the piano and buy a comprehensive musical instrument insurance policy for overall protection.

These are just a couple of examples. The reality could be a lot scarier if you do not have suitable insurance coverage for your musical equipment. Therefore, no matter how careful you are as a person, make sure to buy a dedicated musical instrument insurance plan for your gears and accessories to protect your investment and ensure peace of mind.

A proper musical instrument insurance plan offers a lot of benefits that you cannot avail of otherwise with your home or renter’s insurance policy. The latter will cover your gear if you want to. However, the coverage would not be adequate. So, before something goes wrong with your piano or other musical instruments, be informed and buy one of the best insurance products right away.

Monday, 14 February 2022

Obtaining The Perfect Woodwinds Instrument Insurance

The woodwind family is one of the most diversified and impressive breeds of musical instruments. Right to single-reed, double-reed to no-reed, you will find all sorts of gears. So, in simple words, the woodwind family comprises a wide range of musical instruments, each with unique features. Owing to their high-pitched sound, woodwind gears are regarded as one of the most classical species of musical instruments while being the blue-eyed fellow in the orchestra.

As far as choosing a woodwind musical instrument is concerned, it is crucial to understand the different types of gear available in the market. If you have a clear idea about varieties of musical instruments, it will become easy for you to choose the ideal one. To help you find the right woodwind gear, here we have rounded up some crucial pointers. Hopefully, they will make your search easy and informed. Let's read on!

●    What is the size of the player's hand?

Although it may sound irrelevant to hear in the first place, the size of your hand is a crucial determining factor when buying woodwind musical gear. If the player cannot handle or hold the instruments comfortably, it would be a pain for them to play the same. So, make sure to consider this aspect when buying a musical instrument.


●    Are you comfortable enough to play the gear?

For example, you have chosen the clarinet as your preferred instrument. If you wear braces or do not have adult teeth at the front of your mouth, playing the gear to produce beautiful sounds may be difficult for you. So, this is another determining factor that you should not forget when planning to purchase a musical instrument that belongs to the woodwind family.

●    How eager or focused are you to play a woodwind instrument?

Focus and willingness are two of the most important factors to count on, especially in the case of kids in the age group of 10 to 12 years. Your kids may feel distracted during their classes. As far as the ideal woodwind gear for kids of this age group is concerned, Flute, Alto Saxophone, and Clarinet make the best options. Your children can play these musical gears for as long as 20 minutes sans any expert supervision. However, in the case of oboe and bassoon, you need to be more focused on learning and playing the instrument. So, for kids, it might be a little challenging.

Do you have the right insurance coverage to protect your gears and finances?

No matter which woodwinds musical instrument you play, make sure to buy sufficient Woodwinds Insurance coverage to protect it. Your musical instruments, regardless of the family they belong to, are your prized possessions. Not only have you shelled out an enormous amount of money to buy them, but you put a considerable amount of time and effort into practicing them. Right? Therefore, you should make sure to protect them before anything else. A good insurance plan is the ultimate peace of mind for the owner of the gear.

What if your woodwind gets damaged in an unfortunate accident?
What if something intentionally steals it to bother you?
What if you lose it during transportation?

The answer to all these questions is - a comprehensive Woodwind Insurance policy.

Most importantly, your insurance plan not only covers your gears in your home country but globally along with the transportation-related issues in and outside the home country. It also covers public liability cover.

Dear reader, if you have been looking for all-encompassing insurance coverage for your gear, you should steer away from even the idea of including your gear into your home insurance plan. If you do so, you may hit a rough patch if something happens to your musical instrument.

A crucial pointer to keep in mind

Always remember, your home insurance is formulated to protect your home and its belongings. However, musical instruments, you may take outside your home or play them against monetary returns. Such scenarios will not be covered by your home insurance policy. Therefore, it is advisable to get standalone insurance coverage for your musical instruments. Due to the increasing demand for musical instrument insurance plans, you will find a suitable plan to cover your woodwind. All you need to be informed.

Monday, 7 February 2022

String Instrument: The History, Fun Facts and Importance of Insurance

Who are the members of the string family? Let's know their names first? Cello, Violin, Guitar, Harp, Bass, and Piano. When it comes to the members of the Modern Western Orchestra, they include viola, violin, cello, and contrabass/double bass/ bass. In this blog, we will explore many interesting facts and the history of stringed musical instruments. Let us dive in!

Technically speaking, you have two other stringed musical instruments that are also members of the standard orchestra. Do you know who they are? They are piano and harp. The instruments that belong to the violin family are played using a bow. And the harp and piano are plucked string and hammered string instruments, respectively. However, the piano is often regarded as a percussion family member owing to the playing mechanism.

String Instrument Insurance: An Investment to Protect Your Finances and Gear

No matter which of these musical instruments you play, own, or are planning to buy, do not forget to protect it with a comprehensive String Instrument Insurance plan. It is imperative and can save you a big-time at the time of need.

Are Chordophones and String Instruments the Same?

Do you know what string musical instruments are also called? They are also known as chordophones. The term chordophones are derived from two Greek words - Khorde and Phonos, meaning String and Voice or Sound, respectively. The history of chordophones is long. The oldest surviving member of the string gear family dates back to the Lyres of Ur. These were plucked chordophones and still exist in fragments that belong to a 4,500 era.

Going Back to the History

The first-ever bowed chordophones are believed to be developed in Central Asia and were the predecessors of an Indian folk musical instrument called the ravanastron, the earliest unchanged forerunners of the modern violin family. Besides, various types of chordophones were used throughout Europe during the Middle Age (late).

The Legacy of Violin Making and the Amatis

The name of the first violin maker or luthier was Andrea Amati, Cremona, Italy. His contribution is designing the key features as well as the shape of the modern violin, viola, and cello needs no introduction. He passed on the art to his kids and grandkids. It marked the beginning of the first violin maker dynasty in Italy. The name of the most popular luthier was Antonio Stradivari. He was an apprentice of Nicolo Amati, the grandson of Andrea Amati. You might be surprised to learn that a Stradivarius was sold for more than $3.5 million in 2006. Interesting. Right?

Rich History and Expensive Price Tags Need Sufficient Protection

With such a rich history and great artists behind the string instruments, every piece needs a dedicated String Instrument Insurance policy. So, if you are a musician or have a passion for collecting musical instruments, make sure to cover them under a decent music instrument insurance plan.

How About Some Fun Facts About the Strings?

●    What are the strings of musical instruments made from? Do you have any ideas about it? Typically, the strings of a musical gear of the string family are made up of steel wire or nylon thread. No wonder they are so sharp and need to be handled with care.

●    Many of us did not know, but pianos are also counted as stringed musical instruments. These produce sound when the strings are struck or hit by the player.

●    Most civilizations so far have come up with a type of string musical instrument. Yes, that's right.

●    The fine bows used for playing the violins can use around 150 hairs of a horse.

How does an all-encompassing musical instrument insurance plan protect your string?

A comprehensive stringed instrument insurance plan works as the name suggests. With a reliable and customer-oriented company with years of experience in the market, you can find a suitable policy. When you have decent coverage, it will protect your instrument and finances from all covered risks. Therefore, you can remain tension-free if your gear is damaged, lost, or stolen. A good policy also offers worldwide and transportation coverage. So, without further delays, make sure to get yourself and your musical instrument, the protection of a standalone instrument-specific insurance plan.

Tuesday, 1 February 2022

Insurance for Appraisers - An In-Depth Insight

Did a client recently get a vintage telecaster from his granny? Is he worried about its protection from theft or damage? Do they intend to sell it but do not know its value in the market? In either of these scenarios, getting your musical instrument appraised is the best solution ever. As an appraiser, you are well aware of it. Right?

Both sellers and buyers depend on the musical instrument appraisers to give them precise values of their gears. Even a minute error while doing the appraisal can affect the worth and the process of selling or buying. And if such a mistake affects your clients financially, they can even file a lawsuit against you. Right? It is where Insurance for Appraisers comes into play.

This type of insurance policy can protect you from various legal disputes that come up as the following:

●    Negligence
●    Misrepresentation or misinterpretation of facts
●    Inaccurate services
●    Error in the document
●    Producing incorrect information
 

What do you mean by musical instrument appraisal?

An appraisal can be defined as the assessed value of a musical instrument. In this context, the property can be anything, such as guitar, violin, piccolo, clarinet, synthesizer, or any other precious gear. The document of appraisal may include other crucial details such as - any identifying or distinguishing feature, materials, measurements of the instrument, photographs, provenance documents, and confirmation of the appraiser, to mention a few. An appraisal certificate also talks about the type of value that has been appraised. These include the following:

●    Fair market value: This value is applicable when one person is the seller and the second person is the buyer.
●    Replacement value: This value is mostly used for insurance and related reasons.

After the appraisal is done, the document is considered crucial due to many obvious reasons. These include -

●    One can prove ownership before the court.
●    You can use the document to buy an insurance plan for a musical instrument.
●    You can also use it to confirm the sale price of the gear.

One of the main responsibilities of an appraiser is to piece different bits of information into one. This process of triangulation can reinforce their findings around a valuable musical instrument. And while doing it, if they write something wrong or produce incorrect information on the document, they will be held responsible for the same. In such scenarios, lawsuits are one of the most common penalties in this regard.

Because of all these intricacies involved, every musical instrument appraiser should purchase comprehensive and affordable Insurance for Appraisers before it is too late. If you do not buy this plan and somehow get stuck in a legal mess, then it could be detrimental for your business and reputation in the market. So, make it a priority and get yourself the most crucial cover.

How sensitive is the job profile of a musical instrument insurance provider?

Did you know appraisal documents are essential for rare and vintage musical instruments and gears that have changed ownership? As there are many fake versions of authentic copies, identifying the basic details is not as effortless as many of us think. Therefore, the job profile of the musical instrument appraiser is sensitive. A little mistake can not only ruin their entire career but, and lead them to bankruptcy with an adequate insurance plan.

Does Insurance for Appraisers add to their credibility?

Musical instrument owners who look forward to getting their gears appraised prefer appraisers who have the following qualities:

●    Members of the AAA (Appraisers Association of America)
●    Experienced in dealing with and appraising musical instruments
●    Members with a recognized association
●    Possess a valid and comprehensive insurance plan

So, yes, insurance policies add to the credibility of musical instrument appraisers. If you have been in this field for a long time and do not have one, then make sure to get it right away. There are many insurance companies that sell insurance products for musical instrument appraisers and valuers. So, finding one is less likely to tax you. However, as you will find a number of insurance companies in the market, you need to be very careful when selecting one. And, that should not be tough either. All you need to do is do some thorough homework.