Music insurance 101.

Music insurance 101: I had a crazy thing happen to me in August of 2006 - my entire apartment went up in flames and I lost my home. This got me thinking about how important insurance is and I surveyed a few of the musicians we work with and an overwhelming amount of them had NO Insurance. So I did a little research and here's what I learned...

I have listed the services I found from easiest to the more complicated to navigate.

First, I called Brian and Shoshana Zisk from The Future Of Music Coalition: futureofmusic.org

They told me about HINT: The Health Insurance Navigation Tool. This is a FREE hotline that will talk you through the best possible insurance possibilities based on your specific needs and circumstances.

Shoshana also mentioned that she had all of her equipment stolen a few years ago and she found it at a pawn shop - however because she had no proof that the items were hers she could not get them back - so the

Music insurance THOUSAND DOLLAR TIP: If you can't afford full music insurance coverage for your equipment DO THIS:

Write down all of your serial numbers and take photos of everything and keep those on file (and not on your laptop which may also get stolen from your van on the road)

Here is the link to: HINT: The Health Insurance Navigation Tool: futureofmusic.org/hint/index.cfm

Are you a musician? Do you need advice or information about health insurance? You're not alone. A 2001 FMC survey of 2,700 musicians revealed that the complicated process of obtaining health insurance overwhelmed many of them.

The goal of HINT is to provide informed, musician-friendly support and advice to curious musicians who need information about health insurance, for free.

There are two parts to HINT:

1. A number of number of articles that give an overview of the options available for musicians.

2. Second, they offer a free telephone advice service where you can talk to an insurance expert about your situation to understand your options.

We see this project as a safety net for those musicians who remain uninsured because of lack of support or clear information. Those musicians who reach out for help will get it.

I urge all of you to make an appt!

MORE ADVICE

I also called Samantha Cox the Senior Director, Writer/Publisher Relations BMI and she told me that she directs all BMI members to Music Pro Insurance.

MusicProInsurance.com

They offer instrument and equipment insurance if you are on the road and your van gets broken into, health insurance life insurance and even disability insurance. I am pretty sure that All BMI and ASCAP members qualify and according to Samantha the prices vary depending on where you live of course.

The "About" Section says: "We offer the advantage of one stop shopping with low 'group rates,' flexible options, and excellent service. MusicPro is endorsed by a rapidly growing list of professional music organizations, including MENC (National Association of Music Educators), the AFM (Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians), NARAS (the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) and ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). MusicPro is also available through special offerings to CMJ.com Artists Services subscribers and Musician's Friend Platinum Card Holders.

Another Tip Samantha gave was looking into AFTRA she said it's a bit complicated to navigate but may be totally worth your while. www.aftra.com

The "About" Section says: "The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is a national labor union representing over 70,000 performers, journalists and other artists working in the entertainment and news media."

AFTRA's scope of representation covers broadcast, public and cable television, radio, sound recordings,"non-broadcast" and industrial material as well as Internet and digital programming.

AFTRA's membership includes an array of talent - sound recording membership includes artists who bring pop, rock, country, classical, folk, jazz, comedy, Latin, hip hop, rap and R&B to the world. AFTRA members perform in television and radio advertising, non-broadcast video, audio books and messaging, and provide their skills for developing technologies such as interactive games and Internet material.

Author: Ariel Hyatt

http://www.arielpublicity.com/

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