[quote name='Downdown' timestamp='1482152431' post='3198016']
We've never been asked for insurance or PAT certs. If the venue insisted on us having insurance we'd probably ask them to pay for it or we'd not bother
More seriously, shouldn't the venue be the ones responsible for any necessary insurance and licences? We don't pay for a PRS licence so why is insurance different?
As for PAT testing, it's not a legal requirement and since the venue (the 'employer') doesn't own the equipment in question it is therefore not responsible for it. I'm not saying that venues never ask for PAT certs and I'm sure some of them do out of bureaucratic jobsworthiness, but all I know is that in 10 years of fairly regular gigging at pubs, parties and the odd music festival, we've never been asked for them.
I agree that if asked then it would be almost impossible to argue against it, in which case we'd just ask the venue to pay or we'd give it a miss. We're not dependent on gigging for an income so it would be no loss to us.
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The venue will be insured for their property and the actions of their staff not yours. The insurance covers your band if someone trips over a Mic stand or a speaker falls on them. It also covers their staff and property from our actions.
Your place of work will have insurance but once I come into your place of work I need to prove to your bosses that I'm insured around their employees, it's exactly the same.
As for the PAT what normally happens their is you book the gig with the bride for example and there's no mention of it again until you meet the person at the venue that shows you where to set up and what not, what do you do then?