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Recording Studio Insurance: Cost and Quotes From $25/mo

Recording studios help aspiring artists make tracks that can be sold at music shops or released on online channels such as Youtube. The audio production studio industry has grown 3.7% year-per-year since 2018. US recording studios generate an estimated $19 billion in revenue every year.

Something bad can happen in your recording studio. It’s possible for some to slip and fall or even get electrocuted. Musical instruments might also get damaged. You need a good recording studio insurance policy. This article will look at things you should know, including:

  • The inclusions in a recording studio insurance package

  • Their coverage limits

  • The cost of premiums

  • The best companies for recording studio insurance

General Liability Insurance for Recording Studios


CoverWalletNEXT (Best)ThimbleHiscoxThe Hartford
Per occurrence limit$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$300,000/$1,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000
Aggregate limit$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$300,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000
Products and completed operations aggregate limit$2,000,000
$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000
Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000
Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit$100,000
$100,000$5,000$100,000$1,000,000
Waiver of subrogation included?YesNoIncludedCan be includedNo
Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included?YesNoExcludedCan be includedCan be included
Equipment breakdown floater included?NoYesYesCan be includedCan be included


A general liability policy is a primary inclusion in a music studio insurance package. This grants protection if customers and other parties decide to sue your business for bodily injuries, property damage, copyright infringement, or reputational harm.

This type of recording studio liability insurance has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence limit that can be used to cover the medical treatment of the claimant, the cost of the damaged property, and legal expenses.


In What Situations Can You Use General Liability Insurance?

Some examples where you can use general liability include:

  • A customer slips and falls on a mat in your recording studio

  • A potential client has their cell phone damaged by malfunctioning studio equipment

  • If you are leasing the property and a customer causes damage to the building, your financial responsibility could be covered


What Are the Common Add-Ons for General Liability Insurance?

The general liability policy included in a recording studio insurance package offers these add-ons:

  • Tools and equipment coverage–Protects against financial losses if studio equipment gets damaged or lost due to theft, fire, vandalism, and other covered perils

  • Customer property coverage-This overrides the CCC exclusion and allows general liability policy to provide reimbursement in case customer property that’s left in your watch gets damaged or lost


Is General Liability Insurance Legally Required for Recording Studios?

No, the law doesn’t mandate you get general liability insurance. However, some clients may insist on you having it before they do business with you.


Professional Liability Insurance for Recording Studios


CoverWalletNEXTThimble (Best)HiscoxThe Hartford
Per occurrence limit$1,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000
Aggregate limit$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000$1,000,000
Name additional insureds?YesYesYesYesYes
Waiver of subrogation included?YesNoYesCan be includedNo
License defense coverage includedNoNoNoNoNo
Deductible$500$500$500$50/$10,000$500


A recording studio insurance program will offer professional liability insurance if the owner or employee helps clients record their music or other audio. Professional liability covers liabilities from negligence, mistakes, or errors that a business makes from its services. Some of the times you can use professional liability include:

  • The studio manager hooks up equipment wrong, causing the final recording of a client to be bad and lose money

  • If a client sues the recording studio for not honoring a verbal contract, professional liability could cover the legal fees of this lawsuit


Extended reporting period add-ons are great for the professional liability policy of the recording studio insurance program. If you have a lapse in your coverage, you can still get a response to your claims. Another great add-on is a prior acts option, which covers mistakes you made before your coverage started.


What is Not Covered by Professional Liability?

Professional liability doesn’t cover intentionally malicious acts. If you intend to deceive or defraud a customer, you will not receive coverage.


A microphone in a recording studio

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Commercial Property Insurance for Recording Studios


CoverWalletNEXT (Best)ThimbleThe HartfordHiscox
Building coverage limit (minimum)$50,000$330,000$25,000/$500,000$60,000$25,000
Contents coverage limit (minimum)$50,000$35,000$25,000/$500,000$60,000$15,000
Outdoor signsExcluded$2,500ExcludedExcludedIncluded
Accounts receivable ExcludedExcluded$5,000/$10,000ExcludedIncluded
Money and securitiesExcluded$2,500$1,000ExcludedIncluded
Lock and keys Excluded$2,500ExcludedExcludedIncluded
Business interruption floaterExcludedIncludedIncludedExcludedIncluded
Equipment breakdown floaterExcludedIncludedExcludedExcludedIncluded
Inland marine insurance floaterExcludedExcluded$10,000ExcludedExcluded
Employee dishonesty floaterExcluded$5,000$2,500ExcludedExcluded


Commercial property insurance protects against financial losses if something happens to your recording studio’s property, such as music equipment and building. The coverage of this insurance applies if such damage is caused by fire, theft, vandalism, sinkhole collapse, vehicles, aircraft, lightning, riot, and other covered perils. The limits of commercial property insurance begin at $15,000-$25,000. 


What Commercial Property Add-Ons Should I Consider as a Music Studio Owner?

Business interruption insurance is a common add-on to commercial property insurance. You can also include utility services interruption coverage if it’s not already offered as part of the policy. Earthquake coverage can be added depending on which insurance company you decide to work with.  


Do I Need Commercial Property Insurance as a Studio Owner?

Yes, if you are leasing your music studio, commercial property insurance is generally required by landlords for their tenants.


What is Not Covered by Commercial Property Insurance?

Commercial property insurance doesn’t cover normal wear and tear as well as insect damage. Examples of this include things like pipes rusting due to laziness in maintaining them or termites that spread unchecked. Intentional damage to business property is also excluded. 


Business Owner’s Policy for Recording Studios


CoverWalletNEXT (Best)Thimble The HartfordHiscox
General liability aggregate limit $2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$1,000,000/$2,000,000$300,000/$2,000,000
Commercial property coverage limit $50,000$330,000$25,000/$500,000$75,000$75,000
Optional policies can be added?YesYesYesYesYes
Name additional insureds for free?YesYesYesYesYes
BOP discount?YesYesYesYesYes


Business owner’s policy simplifies insurance for studio owners by combining commercial property insurance and general liability insurance into one policy. It protects against things like bodily injury claims and damage to your property. Example situations where you can use this insurance include:

  • A burglar robs your studio to sell the expensive equipment within

  • A customer injures their arm with heavy equipment in your studio


What is Not Covered under the Business Owner’s Policy?

You do not get professional liability insurance under BOP, so don’t make the mistake of picking the policy as a one-size-fits-all type of insurance.


What Are the Disadvantages of Business Owner’s Policy?

While it is convenient to get your insurance options bundled together, it usually comes at the cost of a lower coverage limit. You may need to get separate policies if you anticipate the liabilities you might face can exceed the coverage limits. Studio owners typically have expensive equipment that might not be adequately covered.

Another struggle with BOP is that you may be paying for coverage you don’t need since cyber liability and other business insurance solutions can be automatically included in the policy. 


Tools and Equipment Insurance  for Recording Studios 


NEXT ThimbleHiscoxThe Hartford
Aggregate limit$3,000/$10,000$2,500/$5,000$15,000/$25,000$5,000-$10,000
Covers hired and borrowed equipment?$3,000/$10,000$2,500/$5,000NoYes
Miscellaneous equipment also covered?$5,000/$10,000NoYesYes
Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance?YesYesYesYes
Deductible$500$500$0$0


Recording studio equipment insurance protects the tools and equipment that your recording studio uses. You use this insurance to cover the repair or replacement of equipment that got damaged or lost due to fire, theft, vandalism, and other covered perils. Some situations where you might use studio equipment insurance include:

  • Your soundboard breaks down due to electrical shorts

  • You lend a speaker to a client to use off your studio property, and it gets damaged


What is the Difference between Equipment Insurance and Commercial Property Insurance?

While commercial property insurance covers tools and equipment, it is only to a limited extent and only when they are on your property. Tools and equipment insurance covers your equipment even when it needs to be used elsewhere.

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Recording Studio Insurance Cost


Cost per MonthCost per YearDeductible
General liability insurance$45$540$0-$500
Professional liability insurance$55$660$500-$1,000
Commercial property insurance$105$1,260$1,000-$2,000
Business owner's policy$150$1,800$500-$1,000
Tools and equipment insurance$70$840$500-$1,000


The average recording studio insurance cost is $45 per month or $540 per year for a $1 million general liability coverage. Factors that affect the cost of premiums are claims history, business history, location, deductibles, policy limits, and annual revenue. Below is a price comparison of the top companies that provide insurance policies a studio owner would greatly benefit from:


Cost per MonthCost per YearBest for
NEXT$11$132Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for recording studios
The Hartford$25$300Expertise
CoverWallet$20$240Comparing recording studio insurance quotes online
Tivly$41$492Comparing recording studio insurance quotes over the phone
Thimble$42$504General liability with a comprehensive studio equipment add-on
Hiscox$30$360Small studio owners

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Best Recording Studio Insurance Companies

The companies below offer the best recording studio insurance. Read some of the reviews below to know their pros, cons, and average cost for a $1 million general liability coverage. 


NEXT Recording Studio Insurance

Pros

  • Best overall

  • Issues an online proof of insurance instantly

  • Fastest general liability insurance recording studios

  • Great customer service and reputation

  • Excellent rates

  • Outstanding value for money

  • Get a 10% discount if you buy two or more policies 

Cons

  • Couldn’t find any


As part of their options, NEXT offers policies that are tailored to the entertainment industry, making them a good choice for studio insurance owners. They have general liability, commercial property, tools and equipment, and professional liability.

They offer bundle discounts which are perfect for saving money when you purchase multiple policies. The company was founded in 2016 and currently has an A- (excellent) rating with AM Best for its financial security. Its score for customer satisfaction with the Better Business Bureau is a B+.

Best for: Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for recording studios

Average cost: $11 per month 

Our rating: 10/10


The Hartford Recording Studio Insurance

Pros

  • Online insurance certificate

  • Experience with production policies

  • Can create specialized business insurance solutions

Cons

  • Limited choices for add-ons in your policies

The Hartford is a competitive option for studio owners that provides business owner’s policy, general liability insurance, professional liability insurance, and commercial property insurance. Their agents are familiar with the challenges of protecting audio equipment and have flexible policies to get the best protection for your price.

This company has an A+ rating from AM Best. Their financial record is strong with over $11 billion in premiums in 2022. The BBB gives them an A+ rating. They boast a 4.8 rating out of 5 from all their customer reviews.

Best for: Expertise

Average cost: $25 per month 

Our rating: 10/10


CoverWallet Recording Studio Insurance

Pros

  • Tailored sound recording policy

  • Good selection of partners

  • Manage your insurance easily online

  • HNOA coverage automatically included to general liability insurance

Cons

  • Not an insurance company but an insurance broker 

CoverWallet is an insurance broker with an online quotes comparison platform you can use to get the best recording studio insurance. They offer general liability, commercial property, professional liability, business owner’s policy, and commercial property options to complete your sound recording studio insurance package. The BBB gave CoverWallet an A+ rating for customer satisfaction, which is good for the tens of thousands of customers they serve every year. 

Best for: Comparing recording studio insurance quotes online

Average cost: $20 per month 

Our rating: 10/10


Tivly Recording Studio Insurance

Pros

  • Over 200 partners to choose from

  • Easy to generate multiple quotes

Cons

  • No online quotes

Tivly’s insurance policies can protect your studio from bodily injury, business closure, weather events, theft, and vandalism. They offer general liability, commercial property, business owner's policy, professional liability, and lots more through their partners. Call a representative now to get covered. 

Tivly has over 200 insurance partners that are all available from one online marketplace. The company has an A from the Better Business Bureau and 20 years of experience in the insurance space. 

Best for: Comparing recording studio insurance quotes over the phone

Average cost: $41 per month 

Our rating: 10/10


Thimble Recording Studio Insurance

Pros

  • Great app

  • Great online resources

  • Short-term coverage available

Cons

  • Online chat-only customer support

Thimble is an insurance marketplace with many great partners that offer studio production insurance. They offer production packages with general liability and professional liability insurance already built in. This company also has business owner’s policy, commercial property, and business equipment insurance. Thimble has an A+ rating from AM Best as well as an A+ from the BBB. 

Best for: General liability with a comprehensive studio equipment add-on

Average cost: $42 per month 

Our rating: 10/10


Hiscox Recording Studio Insurance

Pros 

  • Personalized coverage

  • Pre-existing production packages

  • 14-day money back guarantee

  • Worldwide liability coverage

Cons

  • Doesn’t cater to businesses in Alaska 

Hiscox offers focused policies that are customized for the individual business that buys them. This means that one studio’s insurance might look different from another. The company offers entertainment production packages that include commercial property, business interruption, general liability, equipment insurance, and more.

This company managed to secure an A- from the BBB as well as an A rating from AM Best for financial strength. Every year they service 500,000 customers and offer unique advantages like worldwide coverage. Most of their customers are small business owners, making it a good choice for a smaller studio owner.

Best for: Small studio owners

Average cost: $30 per month 

Our rating: 10/10


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