DJ Insurance: Liability, Cost & Quotes From $11

Just like other professions, working as a disco jockey has its own share of exposures. Sound equipment will go haywire and injure someone,  poor cable management might cause a trip and fall accident, audio equipment will experience defects or get stolen – reasons for you to lose a significant amount of money.


Insurance companies offer tailored DJ insurance. In a nutshell, this insurance will protect you from third-party claims, property damage, and more. Our discussion aims to impart all there is to know about DJ insurance. Know about the inclusions, the cost, and the best DJ insurance companies. 

DJ Liability Insurance

DJ Liability insurance is the most common form of business insurance that you’ll want to have when you’re performing as a DJ since it covers most of the risks associated when dealing with vendors, clients, customers, and other entities. 


Liability insurance has different types. Each type covers a specific claim a third party will file.  For DJs, the most common liability insurance policies are:

  • General liability insurance

  • Professional liability insurance 

General Liability Insurance for DJs

General liability insurance is the primary coverage that insurance companies include in tailored DJ insurance.  It provides protection against the following perils:

  • Third-party bodily injuries – The party was at its climax and you decided to stage dive. An attendee experienced minor arm injuries after catching you. This person then decided to file a claim and demanded you pay for medical expenses and provide compensation for pain and suffering

  • Third-party property damage – A small bar hired you. You brought your own sound system because the bar doesn’t have its own. During the party, one of the speakers suddenly exploded and started a fire. This fire then charred the structure of the bar’s building.  The owner decided to file a claim and wanted you to reimburse the value of the damaged structure

So how does general liability insurance work in practice? When a third party files a personal injury claim or property damage claim, general liability insurance will pay for attorney fees, compensatory payments, and other legal costs on your behalf. 


The protection general liability insurance provides isn’t limited to third-party personal injuries or property damage. This is actually a very comprehensive policy offering more coverage at an additional price. If you’re willing to invest more in premiums, general liability insurance will provide the following protection:

  • Advertising injury coverage

  • Rented premises liability coverage

Advertising injury coverage is an optional policy in general liability insurance that will take care of claims for advertising or reputational harm. The language of this coverage commonly includes the following perils:

  • Slander – During an interview, you spoke ill about another DJ.  The DJ lost a lot of gigs soon after you made the statement. Because of this, this other DJ decided to sue and hold you responsible for his losses

  • Libel – You were making a blog post about how to become a DJ.  You decided to criticize another blog post talking about the same topic. The criticism wasn’t constructive and was harmful to the reputation of the author. As a result, the author decided to sue you and demanded payment for damages incurred

  • False advertising – It was stated in the ad that you only provide homemade mixes. However, it turned out that your playlist was actually made up of tracks made by other DJs. A client then filed a claim because the ad talking about you was misleading and inaccurate

  • Copyright infringement- You extracted the beat of another track and used it on your own. The person, who composed the source track, recognized his beat on your music and decided to sue you for using intellectual property without proper attribution or monetary compensation 

Rented premises liability coverage is another add-on to general liability insurance for DJs. This will reimburse the property owner if a leased or rented space is damaged by fire. Consider adding this one to general liability insurance if you’re renting or leasing a music studio, office, or any other space. 


Never think twice about getting general liability insurance because nightclubs and other drinking establishments might require this before hiring you. 


DJ Professional Liability Insurance 

Professional liability insurance will cover attorney fees, compensatory payments court orders, and other legal costs if you commit acts constituting errors and omissions that result in economic loss or financial loss to a client. Perils included in the language of professional liability insurance are:

  • Negligence

  • Misrepresentation 

  • Violation of good faith and fair dealing

  • Inaccurate advice

DJ Liability Insurance One Day

If you’re not performing every day of the year, it’s smarter to get a one day DJ liability insurance. DJ insurance one day is primarily offered as a short-term 12-hour or 24-hour general liability insurance with rented premises liability coverage and advertising injury coverage (rented premises liability and advertising injury coverage are offered as primary inclusions not as optional policies). Inland marine insurance and equipment breakdown insurance can be added as optional policies or as endorsements to DJ liability insurance for one day. 

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DJ Equipment Insurance

Professional DJ equipment can be worth tens or thousands of dollars.  DJ sets, for example, cost $1,849 on average. You’ve invested a lot in your gear, and it’s smart to get that covered with DJ equipment insurance. 


Aside from liability insurance, carriers offer equipment insurance for DJs. Equipment insurance will take care of repair or replacement costs if your DJ gear got lost or damaged due to fire, theft, vandalism, and other covered perils. Coverage applies whether equipment got lost or damaged while you’re working in the event venue or taking a quick break at a cafe. 


So which DJ equipment do insurance companies allow you to cover using equipment insurance?  Items you can schedule are:

  • Mixers

  • Computers

  • Headphones 

  • Turntables

  • CDs

  • Laptops

  • Cameras

  • Tablets

  • Cables

Commercial Property Insurance for DJs

Commercial property insurance is useful if you’re a DJ who owns or leases a studio or office where equipment is stored, clients are admitted, and music lessons are conducted.


Fire or extreme weather might destroy your studio or office. Commercial property insurance will help in such a situation by giving you insurance money equal to the replacement cost or actual cash value of the commercial building. The same is also true if theft, vandalism, fire, extreme weather, and other covered perils damage your office or studio. 


Commercial property insurance includes business equipment coverage. Business equipment coverage will reimburse losses if your computer, mixer, turntable, headphone, and other DJ gear got destroyed or damaged within the premises of the office or studio due to fire, vandalism, theft, and other covered perils. 


Aside from business equipment coverage, there’s also stocks and contents coverage. Stocks and contents coverage will reimburse losses if the studio or office furniture, CCTV cameras, records, important documents, and other valuables not considered as DJ equipment or gear got destroyed or damaged within the premises of your commercial space due to extreme weather, fire, theft,  and other covered perils. 


Does Commercial Property Insurance Cover Software?

Aside from equipment, you also invested in mixing and audio editing software. So does commercial property insurance cover this? Sadly speaking, the answer is no. While commercial property insurance will cover your computer and other electronic devices, the software installed and data stored are excluded.


DJ Workers Compensation Insurance 

You need workers’ compensation insurance if you’re working with an assistant. Your assistant might get injured or sick because of work. Of course, you’ll have to get him or her treated. Otherwise, a lawsuit might be filed against you. 


The function of workers’ compensation insurance is to account for the treatment, rehabilitation, hospitalization, and lost income compensation of your assistant who is suffering from a work-related injury or disease.

 

Lost income compensation comes in the form of a weekly allowance equal to two-thirds of the average weekly wage. Also, if your assistant dies because of his or her work-related injury or sickness, workers’ compensation insurance will pay for funeral expenses and will provide cash aid to the dependents. 


Mobile DJ Insurance 

Mobile DJ insurance typically combines general liability insurance with commercial auto insurance and equipment in transit insurance.  


General Liability Insurance for Mobile DJs

General liability insurance covers personal injury claims, property damage claims, liability to rented premises, and claims for advertising or reputational harm. .


Commercial Auto Insurance for Mobile DJs 

Commercial auto insurance is a coverage for commercial vehicles. This will replace personal auto insurance if you’re using your car to meet clients, go to gigs, and transport DJ equipment. But here’s one thing to remember – some carriers allow customers to upgrade their personal auto insurance to commercial auto insurance. Also, other insurance companies allow customers to include features of commercial auto insurance to personal auto insurance at an additional price. 


So how does commercial auto insurance help? Commercial auto insurance provides the following protections:

  • Auto liability coverage

  • Physical damage coverage

  • Emergency roadside assistance

  • Medical payments coverage/personal injury protection 

Auto Liability Coverage

You might cause an accident while driving to meet a client or attend a gig. Those who got involved will surely incur injuries or property damage.  The job of auto liability coverage is to pay for the treatment of injured parties and reimbursements to damaged properties on your behalf. Also, if a victim decides to take legal action, auto liability coverage gives you money for attorney fees and other legal costs. 


So does auto liability coverage cover all accidents where you’re at fault? The answer is no. Auto liability coverage can’t help if you caused the accident and it’s proven that you were:

  • Driving under influence

  • Driving with no driver’s license

  • Driving with no headlights and other vehicle features strictly mandated by law

  • Running away from police authorities

Medical Payments Coverage 

You’ll also incur injuries if a vehicular accident happens. Auto liability coverage only covers third parties and will not take care of you. This is why insurance companies include medical payments coverage/personal injury protection in commercial auto insurance. Medical payment coverage and personal injury protection will cover treatment if you got injured after getting involved in a vehicular accident. Coverage applies whether it’s your fault or another driver’s fault. Ask the insurance company which of the two is available in your state. 


Physical Damage Coverage

It’s very problematic if your vehicle becomes damaged because replacing or repairing parts is very expensive right now. Luckily, insurance companies underwrite physical damage coverage that will take care of this problem for you. Physical damage coverage has two types, namely:

  • Collision physical damage coverage – Comprehensive physical damage coverage will get parts repaired or replaced if you collided with an object or another vehicle and your car incurred damage

  • Comprehensive physical damage coverage – Comprehensive physical damage coverage will get parts repaired or replaced if fire, extreme weather, vandalism, and other covered perils damaged your vehicle 

Emergency Roadside Assistance 

You might experience issues during the trip. Of course, you’ll have to shoulder emergency expenses, or else you’ll fail to meet the client or attend the gig.  Emergency roadside assistance is a coverage in commercial auto insurance that will help reimburse what you spent for battery jump start service, towing service, tire delivery and replacement, gas delivery, and other roadside assistance services. 


DJ Event Insurance 

DJ event insurance is similar to getting covered for a day, but most insurance companies will be willing to tailor these relatively limited policies for the length that you need them. For example, if the party, festival, sports event, wedding, or any other special event you’re hired for lasts for about a week, then the insurance company will work with you to come up with a reasonable rate for the time.


Of course, these policies tend to be a little more expensive than annual insurance policies, so it’s a good idea to compare whether it’s worth getting covered for your events individually or just opting for year-long coverage. These policies are typically a good idea for DJs who only perform once or twice a year.

Wedding DJ Insurance

In most cases, wedding DJ insurance is required by wedding venues, and since it’s necessary in most cases, insurance companies tend to charge a little bit more for it. In most cases, DJ business insurance for weddings is limited to general liability coverage, but additional policies can be added at the DJ’s behest. For example, there’s nothing stopping you from adding equipment coverage to your wedding DJ insurance policy so that you can keep your gear protected from damage or theft during the wedding.

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DJ Insurance Prices

DJ insurance costs $21 per month or $252 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance. 


If you have an event or set that’s happening soon, then you may not have the luxury of shopping around and getting quotes from a wide range of different carriers. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and gathered the average DJ liability insurance cost from some top insurers.


Using our list of quotes and prices for some of the top carriers in the industry,  we’ve made a table so that you’ll have more idea of the cost of DJ  insurance

Company Cost per month Cost per year Best for
CoverWallet $15 $180 DJ insurance quotes comparison online
Thimble $19 $228 Short-term insurance for DJs
NEXT $21 $252 Dj general liability insurance with instant proof of insurance
Geico $25 $300 DJ commercial auto insurance
RV Nuccio and Associates $30 $360 DJ general liability and equipment insurance


One-Day DJ Insurance Price 

The cost of DJ insurance for a day generally depends on your performing history as well as exactly what kind of coverage you’re looking for. That being said, the median cost of a one-day policy for a DJ is about $60 going up to about $150 if you’re trying to get a $1 million general liability coverage for three days.


Mobile DJ Insurance Cost 

Because of how mobile DJ insurance combines different policies, you can expect to pay a bit more for coverage. Depending on the company you’re working with and the details of your policy, you can expect to pay about $500 per year for mobile DJ general liability coverage.


Wedding DJ Insurance Cost 

Annual policies for wedding DJ insurance start at about $16.66 per month or  $200 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance. However, costs can quickly scale if you specialize in large weddings and premiums will be $499.92 per month or $500 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance. 

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Best DJ Insurance Companies

When shopping for DJ insurance, you’ll have a choice of a wide range of different companies, and it’s good to know what each of them can offer you before opting for the first quote that you get. We’re going to take a look at a couple of the best carriers that you can opt for when getting insured as a DJ. Know about the pros, cons, and pricing for a $1 million general liability coverage of each.


CoverWallet DJ Insurance

Pros

  • Cancel your insurance anytime 

  • Has four insurance options in its tailored DJ insurance

  • Pay insurance premiums anytime, anywhere

  • Add additional insureds for free 

Cons

  • Not an insurance company but an insurance broker

CoverWallet is an insurance broker that’s a sister company of AON insurance. This company’s tailored DJ insurance offers four insurance options:

  • General liability only

  • General liability and commercial property insurance

  • Business owner’s policy with workers compensation insurance

  • Custom plan

Also, this company has an insurance quotes comparison platform. Use CoverWallet’s quote comparison tool to find and get the quotes of carriers offering tailored insurance for DJs. 

So what makes CoverWallet stand out from competitors? This company allows you to get covered online. Also, you can cancel your policy anytime. Paying premiums is easy because you can do it via the MyCoverWallet app or the company website. Also, you can add additional insureds to your general liability insurance for free. 


Best for: DJ insurance quotes comparison online 

Average cost: $15 per month

Our rating: 10/10


Thimble DJ Insurance

Pros

  • Allows you not to have any deductible

  • You can get covered for only hours, weeks, days, or months

  • You can easily name additional insureds on your policy in an instant

Cons

  • Customer service takes long to respond 

Thimble sells tailored DJ insurance as a short-term on-demand insurance policy offering general liability insurance and professional liability insurance. This company will insure you instantly. The best thing is that you can decide to only get covered for hours, days, weeks, or months. 

Since its DJ insurance only includes general liability and professional liability, Thimble sells additional policies as stand-alone insurance products. These are commercial property insurance and equipment insurance. 


Best for: Short-term insurance for DJs

Average cost: $19 per month 

Our rating: 9/10


NEXT DJ Insurance

Pros

  • Track and file a claim online

  • General liability insurance comes with an optional tools and equipment coverage

  • Instant live certificate of insurance

Cons

  • Some customers report that NEXT’s customer service representatives can be unwelcoming

NEXT’s tailored DJ insurance includes general liability insurance with tools and equipment coverage, commercial auto insurance, and workers compensation insurance. This company’s general liability coverage comes with a live certificate of insurance you can send as a text message, email, or social media post. NEXT is available in all 50 states. Work with this company if you’re looking for a carrier that allows you to track and file a claim online


Best for: Dj general liability insurance with instant proof of insurance

Average cost: $21 per month 

Our rating: 8/10


Geico DJ Insurance

Pros

  • Has a lot of commercial auto insurance discounts

Cons

  • Some insurance policies Geico sells are underwritten by other companies 

Geico covers DJs and many other workers, including tradesmen and filmmakers with its general liability insurance policy. Geico ensures that its clients will be covered in the event of property damage or injuries. They will also cover you from advertising injury and will cover legal costs that are incurred by the event.


Best for: DJ commercial auto insurance

Average cost: $25 per month 

Our rating: 7/10


RV Nuccio DJ Insurance

Pros

  • Covers disco jockeys, karaoke jockeys, and video jockeys 

  • Offers general liability insurance specially underwritten for DJs, KJs, and VJs

Cons

  • Takes long to respond to claims 

RV Nuccio and Associates offers exclusive liability insurance that is catered specifically to DJs. Along with general liability, this kind of policy will cover DJs, VJs, and KJs from employee crime as well as damage to their equipment or even theft.


Best for:  DJ general liability  and equipment insurance

Average cost: $30 per month 

Our rating: 6/10


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