Patrons purchase tickets to a concert for many reasons: to see their favorite act, gather with friends, a night on the town and catch a new talent.  Main point is all seek a good, fun time and hearing good music.

But unknown to patrons are the many details that go into producing and promotion of a successful concert.  When planned properly, it shows, but is not seen.

One of many of those details is safety for both the performers and the audience. Concert  Insurance to protect against incidents  for Liability and Bodily harm have potential to come into play more often than one may think.

Two recent examples, one good and one not so good.  Both affect the safety and expense involved with producing an event:

http://www.pollstarpro.com/NewsContent.aspx?cat=0&com=1&ArticleID=823784 and http://www.pollstarpro.com/NewsContent.aspx?cat=0&com=1&ArticleID=823800

First, the bad news; the Allman Brother’s unfortunate bus crash.  Everyone is ok, thank goodness, but this accident is an example of the long hours artists, bands, production crews and drivers spend on getting everyone to the venue, normally traveling between 350 - 450 miles overnight to set up and perform for their fans.  Proper  Insurance coverage is a must not only to cover any medical expenses, but also to make sure that property damage to a vehicle can be recovered and/or repaired/replaced in a timely fashion. Without this commitment by performers and their teams, there is no show; thus disappointed fans. 

A second example of an “unseen” detail is crowd barriers for crowd control.  These type of barricades described in the article are not really thought about by patrons, but they are of utmost importance to artist and patrons alike.  Proper crowd control, from security to crowd flow are key to a safe event.  Concert insurance can come into play if the barriers fail to pay for injuries so that the act is not financially ruined. Having proper barricades not only enhance patron’s enjoyment, but lowers the Risk of someone being harmed or having an accident. It also helps greatly with the expense of a premium by lowering the cost!

Remember the goal is for patrons to enjoy their experience.  Our goal as concert insurance brokers is to assist producers, promoters, and artists with making sure that they are covered for any Liability that may occur.

From these two examples, one can see that accidents do unfortunately happen, but risks with large crowds, transportation, staging, production, etc.,happen.  Risk are unseen by patrons but not by a professional concert insurance broker. Best to be properly covered onstage and off!

About: Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc. is an independent  insurance broker that works on behalf of the Canadian arts and entertainment industry to provide insurance for the lowest possible cost. Should a claim occur, Front Row ensures that clients receive the money they are owed per the insurance policy, as quickly as possible. Front Row has offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Nashville and Los Angeles.

“Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd, and we remember why we came”
-Jackson Browne, Stay

Life on the road can be rife with challenges and filled with excitement and exhilaration. But a little insurance planning before heading out on tour will ensure your excitement is from the audience and not an uninsured claim.

In today’s Post, I’ll highlight some things for you to think about when planning your tour. While every circumstance is a little different, these are the key exposures that you and production manager will want to consider.

Instruments, Sound, Lighting and Other Equipment: Your instruments and equipment will be loaded, unloaded and then loaded again and again. In order for your insurance coverage to be seamless, you need to ensure that you have a ‘Floater’ coverage form. Floaters are a type of insurance that are not specific to any location, so they extend to wherever the gear is located: on the road, on the stage and everywhere in between. Be sure that the policy territory includes all of the countries where your tour will take you. And, if you are traveling into countries with less stable or unpredictable governments or legal systems, you’ll want to investigate coverage for seizures, quarantine or appropriation by authorities.

Some additional things to think about:

- Valuation: What are you entitled to from your insurance company? Will your policy pay to replace old equipment with new, or are they only responsible to pay you for used equipment?

Carnet Bonds: (pronounced ‘car-neh’). Carnet Bonds must be posted with the Chamber of Commerce when you are taking your equipment outside of the country. A Carnet is like a passport for the property you are taking on the road. It allows you to pass into a country with your equipment duty & tax free. The Carnet Bond is a financial guarantee with the government that pays the duty or taxes if the gear doesn’t return and it is used to prevent companies or individuals from importing property without paying these charges. You will be required to complete and file an ATA Carnet application along with a detailed list of the property with the Chamber of Commerce. You will need to include the current value of the equipment not the new cost. This will be used to calculate the amount of your Carnet Bond. While you can purchase a Carnet Bond from a broker, the Chamber of Commerce offers an excellent on-line system for purchasing the Bond and the rates are generally more competitive than purchasing it on your own.

Front Row Insurance Brokers Specialize in Band Insurance: Learn More 

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Contingency, Cancellation & Non-Appearance: A lot of unexpected things can and do happen when you are on the road. Musicians can become ill or have an accident, equipment can be damaged or stolen or you can experience unavoidable travel delays when another volcano blows it top or Mother Nature has a bad day. Whatever the cause, you want to think about the financial implications if unexpected circumstances lead to the cancellation, interruption, delay, or postponement of your show. The coverage offered by insurance companies varies and I’ve decided not to get too detailed here, but the key is to think about the things that can prevent you from performing as scheduled. Using a Broker who is well-versed in this area is invaluable to generating meaningful conversation around the risks you face.

Front Row Insurance Brokers Specialize in Non-Appearance Insurance: Learn more

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Liability Insurance: When someone gets hurt or you damage property such as a venue, a hotel room or a studio, you could be facing a tour liability claim. They can be costly to defend and to settle, if you are negligent and are responsible to pay the other party for their injury or damage. To reduce your risk, make sure you only engage contractors or service providers who have insurance and who are able to add you as an Additional Insured to their policy. As an Additional Insured, their insurance company is obliged to defend you if the actions, or inactions, of the contractor for the claim against you. Most tour liability insurance policies will provide worldwide coverage, provided that the claim is brought against you in Canada or the USA. You may want to consider expanding this to include claims brought anywhere in the world if you have assets in other countries, or if you are travelling to countries with less predictable legal or political environments. Carefully review the insurance requirements of contracts such as venue agreements and equipment rental contracts. As a final point, be sure your policy does not exclude claims related to injuries to performers. You’d be surprised just how many policies prospective clients bring me that have this type of exclusion.

Front Row Insurance Brokers Specialize in Musician Liability Insurance: Learn more

To read more on Tour Insurance click here!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Non-owned aircraft, helicopters, aviation, rented vehicles, international exposures; these are all things to talk about with your Broker when you are arranging your insurance. Chartered tour vehicles, buses or airplanes can present risks to you that need to be considered as part of you insurance program. Checking to ensure that the owners and operators are insured is crucial. It is common to find coverage in policies for the use of non-owned vehicles in Canada or the USA, but not for international rentals. Be sure to look into this if you are planning to rent vehicles as part of your tour.

Front Row Insurance Specializes in Touring Insurance for bands: Learn more

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Out of Country Medical: Even a short hospital stay can result in thousands of dollars in medical expenses that will not be insured by your provincial medical insurance. A long hospital stay with extensive treatment, or the need to be returned home by air ambulance can create devastating financial hardship for you and your family. Out-of-Country medical insurance is inexpensive and a ‘must-have’ for your musicians and crew. Consider purchasing an annual policy for uninterrupted and seamless coverage for pleasure travel or a last minute gig. Pre-existing or on-going health conditions, can be problematic when making a claim so you’ll want to ensure that there are no restrictions on the insurability of any of those who are on the road. If you are leaving it up to each individual to purchase their own insurance then be sure to ask them to provide you with a copy of their policy before setting out.

Front Row Insurance Brokers Specialize In Tour Insurance, Including Out of Country Medical Insurance: Learn More

To Read more on Tour Insurance click here!

It’s outdoor performance season – Shakespeare in a park, concerts, festivals, and all sorts of other great art is being created under the sun and stars. All of us have cherished memories of outdoor shows, but we also know what it’s like when Mother Nature reminds us she is a powerful force.

The majority of show and festival producers have ‘rain or shine’ policies and will not refund tickets if a few rainy days mean people have to huddle under their umbrella or cover up with a poncho.

But what happens if dangerous weather conditions prevent your crew from setting up for the show or make it impossible for your talent to make it to the stage? As a show producer, you need to be able to deliver on your promise to present the show – but if you have no stage, or no performers, or if you are forced to cancel the show, ticket refunds are a reality you need to face.

There are different forms of Performance or Event Cancellation insurance available from domestic & foreign insurance companies. Many will automatically exclude weather-related cancellations, postponements or interruptions; never assume that the cancellation insurance you’ve purchased includes cancellations caused by weather. You need to read the policy exclusions in your policy to be sure.

The thing you need to clearly understand when buying weather insurance is what type of weather ‘event’ will trigger your policy and allow you to submit a claim to your insurance policy. Is it only adverse weather that poses a serious safety threat to your audience, crew and talent? Does it cover your set-up period, or just the performance time? Will a cancellation be insured if you decide to cancel the show or does some other authority need to mandate or order the cancellation?

Understanding the scope of coverage offered by your policy is important. But equally important is having clear lines of communication with your production team, your insurance broker and your insurance company in advance of the weather day.

Here are some things to think in advance of your show or event:

• Buy insurance early. When you decide that weather insurance is something you’d like to purchase talk to your broker early so you have your quotes well before your show or event. Most insurance companies will not bind insurance on events unless you are at least 10 to 14 days from your event dates. And remember, buying an umbrella on a rainy day always seems impossible and more expensive!
• Who will monitor and document the weather? When you are close to city centres, it’s much easier to document what the weather conditions were at your venue at the time when you called your show.
• Consider hiring a Weather Monitor to be on-site; your own meteorologist. There is a cost of course, but if you are concerned about the distance between your venue or site and the nearest weather station, a weather monitor will be a valuable part of your production team. They can document the amount of rain fall, wind speeds and lightening conditions. Some insurance companies mandate that you use an approved Weather Monitor.
• If you don’t have a Weather Monitor in the budget, ask your insurance company what documentation they will require to substantiate your insurance claim. They might ask for photos, local or regional weather report and warnings, wind speed readings. Consider renting or buying wind speed monitoring equipment.
• Learn about lightening and understand standard safe operating protocols when dealing with it. I often say to clients, if you can see it then you need to consider it a risk. A helpful resource that I like to reference is http://www.ec.gc.ca/foudre-lightning/default.asp?lang=En&n=73364E34-1 If you have a tent or other temporary structures including lighting grids, stages, tents or canopies, know what wind speeds or weight loads will compromise these structures. Tent manufacturers or suppliers should be able to provide you with all of the safety specifications you need. If they can’t then perhaps you need to use a different vendor. During periods of unsettled weather you need to monitor & document what stresses or loads were being experienced at that time.
• Establish a Management ‘chain of command’ and designate the ultimate decision-maker. Where safety is an issue there is no time for wasted time. It needs to be clear with all members of your team who will be making this decision to cancel the show.

While this Blog Post is about weather insurance, you need to be aware that failing to act swiftly and decisively when people’s safety is at risk creates a big liability exposure for you and your company. You can face lawsuits, penalties, or even criminal charges if you allow your crew, talent or your audience to be exposed to unsafe conditions by failing to make a decision and take action.

As a final thought on weather insurance, you need to think about how much money you expect when making your claim with the insurance company. At the time of purchasing your policy you will generally have 2 choices of loss settlements:

1. Gross Event Revenue: Your insurance claim will include gross box office revenue from all ticket sales. When your event has a high volume of pre-sales, it’s easier to show the insurance company your ticket revenue; however, if you rely on ‘day-of’ sales or have surges in ticket sales the week of the event, then this variable may pose a challenge when making your claim for lost revenue.  Remember it’s not only Producers and insurance companies who watch the weather, so do your ticket buyers. And don’t forget ancillary revenues like merchandising or your food and beverage sales;
2. Production Expenses: This is probably the more common approach to insuring event cancellations. There are less variables as your claim will be based on the production budget that you submitted with your insurance application. Be sure to update your insurance company if you make any significant changes to your budget so the amount of insurance can be adjusted. The policy will pay your fixed expenses and any expenses that you are contractually obligated to pay. You may want to make allowances for variable expenses that may not be incurred if you cancel your show.

To sum it up, read your policy and understand it. If you have questions, ask them. Work with your broker to determine the amount of insurance you need to cover your potential financial loss and be sure that the policy matches your expectations.

So, here’s to a great season of making memories under the sun and stars.