Sound engineers do a lot of things. In concerts, these professionals see to it that the sound is delivered to all audiences in a loud, clear, and safe manner. Film production companies also employ the services of sound engineers to make sound effects for scenes and characters. Sound engineers also help to make video games become more realistic.
A lot of things can go wrong while you’re working. For example, a person you’re working with might get electrocuted by defective audio equipment purchased from the music shop. Someone might sue you for copyright infringement after using sound elements for an app or game without proper attribution to the original source. Moreover, you can be held responsible if the output you provided doesn’t meet expectations.
Sound engineer insurance can save your business Read this guide to know the inclusions, what you can expect to pay for insurance, and which are the best companies that can provide the best coverage.
Any business or freelancer providing sound engineering services for any industry needs sound engineer insurance. You are eligible for coverage if you associate yourself with the following businesses:
Game sound engineers
Monitor sound engineers
Systems sound engineers
Research and development sound engineers
Recording sound engineers
Insurance companies underwrite liability coverage as a primary protection against lawsuits that clients, partners, and other businesses might file. General liability and professional liability are the two types of sound engineer liability insurance. The sections below explain how each works:
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Products and completed operations aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $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 |
| Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit | $100,000 | $100,000 | $5,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Included | No |
Another sound engineer may claim your work sounds similar to what they produced, breaching copyright laws. What if someone at a concert you provided sound engineering services for claims the sound was too loud, causing them to have hearing damage?
You will be protected from any financial devastation of all these claims if you have general liability insurance. Use the table above to see which insurance company best offers this type of sound business insurance for audio engineers.
Insurance companies design the general liability insurance for sound engineers to cover the following costs:
Medical treatment of the claimant
Reimbursement for the damaged property of the claimant
Legal defense expenses
Court judgments
Yes. General liability insurance can apply, provided that the disclosure of your client’s new album or record resulted in reputational harm. You can also use this policy to cover claims for slander or libel.
In case you can’t get general liability insurance, go for a sound engineer public liability insurance. This will also cover your liability for bodily injuries or property damage. Coverage might not apply on claims for slander, libel, and copyright infringement. Nonetheless, there might be endorsements to public liability insurance that address this gap.
| CoverWallet (Best) | NEXT | Thimble | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 |
Professional liability insurance allows you to sort things out easily if a client files a claim for negligence, breach of contract, violation of fair dealing, violation of good faith, and other related offenses. Use the table above to see which insurance company offers the best professional liability insurance for sound engineers.
You can use professional liability insurance if you find yourself in the bad side of clients because you:
Used the wrong tracks for a project
Provided an output that was haphazardly completed
Failed to provide an output on time
Ignored the client’s brief
Failed to submit tracks on time
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $260,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $50,000 |
| Contents coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $35,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $50,000 |
| Outdoor signs | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Excluded |
| Accounts receivable | Excluded | Excluded | $5,000/$10,000 | Excluded |
| Money and securities | Excluded | $2,500 | $1,000 | Excluded |
| Lock and keys | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Excluded |
| Business interruption floater | Excluded | Included | Included | Excluded |
| Equipment breakdown floater | Excluded | Included | Excluded | Excluded |
| Inland marine insurance floater | Excluded | Excluded | $10,000 | Excluded |
| Employee dishonesty floater | Excluded | $5,000 | $2,500 | Excluded |
You want to include a commercial property policy in your sound engineer insurance package if you own a studio located at an owned or rented commercial condo, apartment, stand-alone building, or any other space.
This insurance allows you to recover financial losses if the studio gets damaged or destroyed due to fire, theft, vandalism, sprinkler leakage, sinkhole collapse, and other covered perils. Use the table above to see which insurance company offers the best commercial property insurance for sound engineers.
Yes. Insurance companies include a contents coverage in commercial property insurance. In other words, the policy can cover the cost of computers, microphones, mixers, audio interface, studio monitors, speakers, pop filters, and others. Coverage will only apply if these got destroyed or damaged by a covered peril while in the studio’s premises.
Commercial property insurance is designed to only cover the value of tangible business properties. In other words, you can’t use this policy to recover the value of lost or corrupted digital audio workstations, such as Ableton, Image-Line FL studio, Apple Logic Pro, Steinberg Cubase, etc.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General liability 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 |
| Commercial property coverage limit | $50,000 | $260,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Optional policies can be added? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds for free? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BOP discount? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Businesses and freelancers that provide sound engineering services for many different industries can benefit from a business owner’s policy because of this all-inclusive business policy that bundles all the insurance you need.
By default, a business owner’s policy combines general liability and commercial property insurance. However, this can be customized by further adding professional liability, hired/non-owned auto liability, and other policies. Use the table above to see which insurance company offers the best business owner’s policy for sound engineers.
| NEXT | Thimble | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate limit | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | $5,000-$10,000 |
| Covers hired and borrowed equipment? | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | Yes |
| Miscellaneous equipment also covered? | $5,000/$10,000 | No | Yes |
| Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $0 |
Some insurances already cover your sound equipment if it is stolen or damaged. For example, if you keep your gear on your home or business premises, home insurance, business owner’s policy, or commercial property insurance may cover the loss of your equipment.
But is it insured when you set up your equipment in a venue that is not your business or home premises? No, you can’t recover costs if the equipment is damaged or lost outside your home or business borders. That's when tools and equipment insurance becomes important.
Tools and equipment insurance will cover your loss if computers and other sound equipment got lost or damaged due to theft, vandalism, lightning, fire, and other covered perils while you’re traveling, working at a client’s studio, or simply taking a break at your favorite coffee shop.
Suppose you are a sound engineer that travels from venue to venue to provide your services. In that case, personal auto insurance usually doesn't provide coverage for situations like transporting tools, equipment, or supplies when traveling between job sites. For business-related activities, you will need a commercial auto policy.
Now, if you want to use your personal vehicle to transport your equipment, the good news is that you can get short-term commercial auto insurance. Depending on how long you need for that sort of coverage, whether for one hour or up to a few days, temporary commercial auto insurance is versatile for your needs.
Hearing loss is a common injury among sound engineers. But so is eye strain and musculoskeletal injuries. You can cover the cost of work-related injuries or illnesses by purchasing workers' compensation insurance.
Workers' compensation insurance is mandated by law if you work with one or more part-time and full-time employees. You can also name yourself as an insured in the terms of this policy. You can use workers' compensation insurance to cover the expenses for:
Emergency care
Hospitalization
Medication
Rehabilitation and retraining
Death benefits
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Deductible | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | $38 | $456 | $0-$500 |
| Professional liability insurance | $66 | $792 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial property insurance | $115 | $1,380 | $1,000-$2,000 |
| Business owner's policy | $140 | $1,680 | $1,500 |
| Commercial auto insurance | $50 | $600 | $500-$1,000 |
| Workers compensation insurance | $103 | $1,236 | $1,000-$2,500 |
The average sound engineer insurance cost is $38 per month or $456 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance. Factors that affect the cost of premiums are:
Location
Experience
Annual revenue
Claims history
Policy limits
Deductibles
For a better idea on how much you’ll pay, here’s another table that shows the cost of a $1 million general liability policy from the best companies:
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEXT | $20 | $240 | Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for sound engineers |
| CoverWallet | $22 | $264 | Sound engineer insurance online quotes comparison |
| The Hartford | $25 | $300 | Sound engineers working for recording studios |
| Tivly | $26 | $312 | Comparing sound engineer insurance quotes over the phone |
| Thimble | $36 | $432 | On demand coverage for sound engineers |
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
Many insurance companies claim to provide the best coverage for sound engineers. We looked at all of them and narrowed down the choices to the ones featured here. These are the best sound engineer insurance companies. Read some of the reviews below to know their pros, cons, and cost of a $1 million general liability insurance.
Best overall
Issues an online proof of insurance instantly
Fastest general liability insurance for sound engineers
Great customer service and reputation
Excellent rates
Outstanding value for money
Get a 10% discount if you buy two or more policies
Couldn’t find any
NEXT specializes in granting coverage for independent sound engineers and those who own their studios. This company’s sound engineer insurance program offers a general liability policy, professional liability policy, commercial property policy, tools and equipment insurance, and workers compensation insurance. Coverage is offered in partnership with Tivly.
Best for: Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for sound engineers
Average cost: $20 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Compare sound engineer insurance quotes online
Cancel your coverage anytime
Terrorism coverage can be added to general liability insurance
Buy a quote online or with the help of a representative
Not an insurance company but an insurance broker
CoverWallet is an insurance broker that allows you to compare sound engineer insurance quotes with a click of a button. With this company, you can see which insurance carrier offers a great coverage at a reasonable price. Policies you can avail from CoverWallet are:
$1 million-$2 million general liability insurance
$2 million professional liability insurance
$50,000 commercial property insurance
Workers compensation insurance
Commercial auto insurance
Business owner’s policy
Best for: Sound engineer insurance online quotes comparison
Average cost: $22 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Number 2 best company for workers compensation insurance
Can underwrite a political risk coverage for your business
Highly rated by AM Best, Moody’s, and S&P
Online quotes
Doesn’t grant coverage in Alaska and Hawaii
The Hartford takes pride in its 200 years of experience in protecting small to medium-sized businesses. This company ranks number 2 for the best workers compensation insurance underwriter in the USA. Another notable thing to mention is that it has good ratings from AM Best, Moody’s, and S&P.
The Hartford doesn’t have a sound engineer insurance package but you can get covered through its recording studio insurance package. This offers the following:
General liability insurance
Commercial property insurance
Professional liability insurance
Workers compensation insurance
Commercial auto insurance
Best for: Sound engineers working for recording studios
Average cost: $25 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Compare sound engineer insurance quotes over the phone
Responsive customer service
A partner of many reputable insurance companies
You need to call to get a quote
Tivly allows you to compare quotes. However, you don’t do this online over the phone. This company works with NEXT and other insurance companies to grant you the most comprehensive sound engineer insurance package made up of general liability, commercial property, professional liability, and other policies. Call and talk with a Tivly representative now to get covered.
Best for: Comparing sound engineer insurance quotes over the phone
Average cost: $26 per month
Our rating: 9/10
On-demand coverage
General liability insurance is available as a short-term policy
Numerous add-ons can be availed
Quick to issue an estimate of your rates
You can’t reach customer service by calling
Thimble is an insurance company that grants coverage without asking a lot of questions. Its online quotation platform only needs basic information to figure out which policies suit your needs best. Thimble doesn’t have a sound engineer insurance program. Instead, it covers you through its sound recordist insurance package that offers:
$1 million-$2 million general liability insurance
$1 million-$2 million professional liability insurance
$25,000-$500,000 commercial property insurance
Business owner’s policy
Workers compensation insurance
Best for: On-demand coverage for sound engineers
Average cost: $36 per month
Our rating: 9/10
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
It really can't get any better than this... wow
Not all those who wander are lost.
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