Public Liability Insurance

[Combed20]

My band are playing a festival in a couple of weeks. For the fist time ever, we've been asked to provide a certificate of our public liability insurance cover. I know next to nothing about insurance - but I assumed it would be the festival to provide all required insurance cover. Any one know anything about public liability? Thanks in adv.

[MacDaddy]

Included with your Musicians Union membership, if any of you are members?

[Combed20]

1 minute ago, MacDaddy said:

Included with your Musicians Union membership, if any of you are members?

I don't think so, but I'll check with the other - thanks.

 

[BigRedX]

IIRC the MU PL insurance only covers a band if everyone is a member.

[fretmeister]

Even if the festival has insurance (they will) that only covers the things that the festival organisers do wrong.

 

If it's your amp that falls on someone then that's your fault, and if the injured person goes after the festival organisers, their insurance company will re-direct them to you / your band.

And even if (and it's a massive massive if) the festival people are forced to pay out for something you did, they can then sue you afterwards to get the money back.

 

PLI is cheap. It might even already be on your equipment insurance, or if not can be added for a couple of quid.

[TheRev]

We use Ampband.

https://ampband.co.uk/

[chris_b]

6 hours ago, Combed20 said:

. . . .  I know next to nothing about insurance - but I assumed it would be the festival to provide all required insurance cover.

 

In the past venues would have inclusive insurance, but promoters are reducing their costs by not covering the bands, which leaves the bands having to provide their own insurance.

[zbd1960]

All the choirs/orchestras I've been a part of have had to have PLI since the 90s... can't even rehearse in a school or church hall without it, let alone put on a concert

[BassBunny]

+1 for Ampband. You get free web hosting as well with them.

[zbd1960]

I should have added.... they all use Making Music as they're all members of it. MM has a blanket policy which each member group can pay a small piece of. Much cheaper than each group getting its own insurance.

 

It's a racket though. Until about mid-90s local authorities etc all covered any PLI. Then they decided to only provide it for events they organised and everyone else had to get their own. The dishonesty here is that the local authorities don't actually take out PLI...  

[bertbass]

On 24/06/2022 at 08:59, BassBunny said:

+1 for Ampband. You get free web hosting as well with them.

And me.

[Guest]

MU is good.  Your arriss is covered, and it solves all sorts or arguments that arise when insurers try to argue you were still acting as your own free agent and not on band business at that precise moment in time.  

 

Of course, to satisfy the venue youd probably all need to be members. But my mob are all in the MU, so we're good.

 

They also give you 2 grand of free equipment cover, which is jolly handy.

Edited June 25, 2022 by Bassfinger