$5 million dollar coverage required now?
- Thread starter rickryan.com
- Start date
I've had to provide proof of insurance, name additional insured...but never have been asked for a specific amount of coverage.
The only time I've seen this sort of power policy is when more than single 110V circuit was required (like our system--often union venues require their electrician tie into power even if it's just plugging in a 220 plug)
They don't spend much time at all...They know you WILL Send it over because if you don't, they will call your client saying they have not received any info from you yet, and it's only 2 weeks from the wedding...and that makes YOU look bad. All DJs will cooperate with what is requested because MONEY and Reputation. ...The "Friend" DJs are the ones that MIGHT tell the client they have to pay for the insurance because they are not "professionals" making a "professional" income from deejaying their wedding.
You were "Blown Away" but you still did what they asked because your reputation is important to you.
I can understand if a 220 plug has to be dropped but the way the A/V rider reads is that their tech has to be involved on ANY plug in. I also found it odd that they specifically state that the A/V provider is responsible for payment. Throughout that entire section of the document, they put the bill on the A/V company, not the client.
That has always been the problem with the ADJA is they get about halfway with most things and stop...
If I recall they had each chapter lobbying in their area as opposed to one guy doing it all. They underestimated the lack of concern that most venues have with DJ's
For those who :
a) aren't required to show proof of liability coverage;
b) have never been asked to provide venue proof of co-insured;
c) think it's silly and or stupid;
d) any of the above
you are missing a solid opportunity to bring your business to the forefront of all of the major venues in your market with one simple easy to follow task.
Have you carrier (mine is the State Farm Businessowners policy) gin up co-named insured documents for the two or three dozen most frequented (or ones where you wish you were appearing more frequently).
In a letter sized mailer, include your cover letter explaining insurance, how you are way professional and way ahead of the game, and that they should look into qualifying insured status of every entertainer before allowing them access to their property.
Solid gold, my friends; solid gold.
a) aren't required to show proof of liability coverage;
b) have never been asked to provide venue proof of co-insured;
c) think it's silly and or stupid;
d) any of the above
you are missing a solid opportunity to bring your business to the forefront of all of the major venues in your market with one simple easy to follow task.
Have you carrier (mine is the State Farm Businessowners policy) gin up co-named insured documents for the two or three dozen most frequented (or ones where you wish you were appearing more frequently).
In a letter sized mailer, include your cover letter explaining insurance, how you are way professional and way ahead of the game, and that they should look into qualifying insured status of every entertainer before allowing them access to their property.
Solid gold, my friends; solid gold.
This is how I believe it went down:
AdJA came up with the Idea of Insurance Coverage for DJs. They needed something to help make their offering more valuable to DJs. Buy into a membership, and get a big discount on DJ Insurance. Get the DJs in ADJA to talk about DJ Insurance, and how important that brides/grooms choose a DJ who has it over those that do not. ...Word of insurance for vendors get's around to Venues, and the venues who have had problems with hack DJs at events look at it as a great idea to require that brides bringing in their own DJs outside of the preferred vendor list be required to have Liability insurance in order to work there.
Look at over the years how many DJs have posted on the forums all of a sudden needing to purchase DJ Insurance because they have a gig booked, and the venue is requiring they get it in order to work there. ...Many posts!
Hotels, Hiltons, Marriott...All of these places NEVER required DJ Insurance up until around 2009...Maybe 2008, amd MOST hotels still do not require it. The Agency I work with...None of the DJs carried insurance for themselves EVER. Only the Agency had insurance because they were a brick and mortar business.
It's all a Money Scheme. Pay to Play so to speak. Some DJs may feel better that they have DJ Insurance, but it's just an illusion.
These insurance companies ain't paying out any money on any claims from a DJ Event. Go ahead and put a claim in...watch the insurance company deflect it.
You are essentially paying for a piece of paper only because of the once in a blue moon venue that requests it, and you don't want to look like a Non Pro, or you don't want a negative opinion of you from your clients because their venue made it seem that their DJ should have insurance if they are in business.
It's all a marketing scheme. There is no mandate that states that a DJ needs to have insurance to be able to perform and be in business. There are laws requiring you to be insured in order to Drive...and rightfully so.
Businesses who are not Brick and Mortar entities simply have no real need for insurance other than the appearance of being professional.
Ask any of these bar bands who play in public spots...Majority of them don't carry insurance...Never will! And there are never any incidents where a guest is suing a DJ due to injury, and no...DJs are not burning venues down. It has never happened.
And no...Liability insurance isn't protecting your equipment in case lightning strikes the venue, and fries your sound system either.
Buying into DJ Insurance is nothing more than "Pay to Play"
AdJA came up with the Idea of Insurance Coverage for DJs. They needed something to help make their offering more valuable to DJs. Buy into a membership, and get a big discount on DJ Insurance. Get the DJs in ADJA to talk about DJ Insurance, and how important that brides/grooms choose a DJ who has it over those that do not. ...Word of insurance for vendors get's around to Venues, and the venues who have had problems with hack DJs at events look at it as a great idea to require that brides bringing in their own DJs outside of the preferred vendor list be required to have Liability insurance in order to work there.
Look at over the years how many DJs have posted on the forums all of a sudden needing to purchase DJ Insurance because they have a gig booked, and the venue is requiring they get it in order to work there. ...Many posts!
Hotels, Hiltons, Marriott...All of these places NEVER required DJ Insurance up until around 2009...Maybe 2008, amd MOST hotels still do not require it. The Agency I work with...None of the DJs carried insurance for themselves EVER. Only the Agency had insurance because they were a brick and mortar business.
It's all a Money Scheme. Pay to Play so to speak. Some DJs may feel better that they have DJ Insurance, but it's just an illusion.
These insurance companies ain't paying out any money on any claims from a DJ Event. Go ahead and put a claim in...watch the insurance company deflect it.
You are essentially paying for a piece of paper only because of the once in a blue moon venue that requests it, and you don't want to look like a Non Pro, or you don't want a negative opinion of you from your clients because their venue made it seem that their DJ should have insurance if they are in business.
It's all a marketing scheme. There is no mandate that states that a DJ needs to have insurance to be able to perform and be in business. There are laws requiring you to be insured in order to Drive...and rightfully so.
Businesses who are not Brick and Mortar entities simply have no real need for insurance other than the appearance of being professional.
Ask any of these bar bands who play in public spots...Majority of them don't carry insurance...Never will! And there are never any incidents where a guest is suing a DJ due to injury, and no...DJs are not burning venues down. It has never happened.
And no...Liability insurance isn't protecting your equipment in case lightning strikes the venue, and fries your sound system either.
Buying into DJ Insurance is nothing more than "Pay to Play"
Proves my point. Get Venues to make it pay to play for everybody. Gives you an advantage for a while...Until everybody else carries insurance in the area.
Insurance companies make out like bandits in this situation. The DJ who does this is their best sales person! And for FREE!
Plenty of business that are not brick and mortar have insurance - landscaping, electrical, plumbing and others. If an electrician comes in and fries your house, are you going to let him off the hook? Plumber floods your house, are you going to let him off the hook?
There have been incidents - hence the reason for insurance. In an extreme example, The Station (also The Filling Station) which burned to the ground and killed 99% of the people in the building - everyone got sued - the venue, the band, the promotor, and anyone else involved.
As of September 2008, at least $115 million in settlement agreements had been paid, or offered, to the victims or their families by various defendants including but not limited to: the tour group, the venue owners, the state, the company that made the foam, the news organization filming the incident, a speaker manufacturer, an alcoholic manufacturer and distributor, a home improvement company, an insulation company (probably installer), the company that sold the insulation, and a radio station and its parent companies.
This is true, but you may obtain insurance for this. It's generally cheaper to self insure this part.
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My statement does not prove your point, DJ Ricky B. Most of your statements above ^^ are flawed, incorrect, or incomplete. I'm not going to take a whole lot of time picking apart what you put in print, but it does show a failure to do a thorough investigation.
A couple of highlights, however.
A couple of highlights, however.
No, that's far from reality. Me and most of my peers who are in it full-time have carried business liability insurance for 30+ years.
This is the singular most irresponsible statement in that entire misguided reply. Have you ever been sued? Have you ever headed off a liability suit? Wait until it happens, my friends, and then watch your hiney scramble and sweat; seeing perhaps your entire financial and professional world start its collapse all around.
My equipment IS covered, up to $25,000. Buy cheap, get cheap. Don't investigate options? Nuff said.
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They have gotten smart to having to write off these charges due to both parties claiming no responsibility.
I've done this for years with new clients, including proof of insurance & W-9 with their first contract. Usually is met with "wow these guys know what they are doing" or "clearly in a different league than the other djs"...occasionally met with "do I need to do something with these"
The notion that ADJA invented the need for insurance is giving far more credit to the organization than is due.
If every venue required it, then every DJ would have the insurance. It would "Water Down" the selling potential of carrying insurance. That may actually cause the insurance policy prices to move up actually. If insurance companies see a massive influx of DJs buying into the insurance, then a phony demand has been created.
Plumbers are generally brick and mortar businesses with employees. A guy doing plumbing work "on the side" is likely not to be insured. Same goes with electricians. A sub contracted electrician is generally covered under the Builder's insurance. The company building the property. Again...a brick and mortar location somewhere.
DJs and Photographers, and Videographers don't need insurance coverage other than because a venue wants to see an up to date insurance certificate, and maybe wants to be named additional insured for no real reason.
If a customer gets injured due to a DJ...they are bringing the DJ to small claims court. Not collecting a million dollars from a insurance company.
Plumbers are generally brick and mortar businesses with employees. A guy doing plumbing work "on the side" is likely not to be insured. Same goes with electricians. A sub contracted electrician is generally covered under the Builder's insurance. The company building the property. Again...a brick and mortar location somewhere.
DJs and Photographers, and Videographers don't need insurance coverage other than because a venue wants to see an up to date insurance certificate, and maybe wants to be named additional insured for no real reason.
If a customer gets injured due to a DJ...they are bringing the DJ to small claims court. Not collecting a million dollars from a insurance company.
In general, I agree with your statement. It is an opportunity that might be exploited. However, in my particular case, how can you provide a $5 million dollar policy, when it's not even available for purchase? That's not an opportunity, it's a vendor lock-out policy.
If a customer (or more likely a guest) gets injured, and they're wanting to sue somebody, they're going to enjoin every vendor in attendance; venue, DJ, photography, videographer, caterer, etc. They're going to try and extort money from everyone possible.
When I received my first ever request for co-named liability insurance well over 10 years ago (a Marriott property with new management), a phone call was made to find out why. It was eye opening and quite interesting.
By mandating all service providers to show co-named liability insurances, their liability insurance costs were reduced by 30%. That equated to several thousands of dollars saved annually.Most day-time or on-call entities came through. Those that didn't were terminated.
What pissed me off then and still does to this day (I was there last Monday night and will be again this Monday night) is that the bean counters and executives go home at 5. There's no one there to ask to see any documentation. I know several DJs who are there frequently and are not insured. Frosts my derriere to no end and maybe one day, after DJ, I will become the whistle-blower needed to level the playing field.
By mandating all service providers to show co-named liability insurances, their liability insurance costs were reduced by 30%. That equated to several thousands of dollars saved annually.Most day-time or on-call entities came through. Those that didn't were terminated.
What pissed me off then and still does to this day (I was there last Monday night and will be again this Monday night) is that the bean counters and executives go home at 5. There's no one there to ask to see any documentation. I know several DJs who are there frequently and are not insured. Frosts my derriere to no end and maybe one day, after DJ, I will become the whistle-blower needed to level the playing field.
And the case will be thrown out.
Unless the Venue's Staff literally spills hot coffee all over somebody. Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants - Wikipedia
Or if the catering staff knowingly overserves alcohol to guests, or serves a minor who goes and kills themselves. ...All Catering/Venue related.
The DJ is playing music, and perhaps running a light show. Our sound and lighting systems stay in one place. If a Guest walks near our equipment trips over it, and hurts themselves that is on them. Personal responsibility, and a small claims court will throw that out.
...Now if a DJ decides to use their equipment loaded cart as a weapon and starts running into guests because said DJ went crazy all of a sudden...well that is called Assault which means the DJ may be arrested and going to jail. The DJ insurance isn't going to dish out money to the people the DJ assaulted.
There is no real scenario where DJ insurance will be needed for protection. There have not been any real instances where Insurance company had to dish out hundreds of thousands of dollars because of a DJ's negligence.
so if the DJ scratches the wood floor with equipment...there's no liability there?
if the guests are a little unruly and knock over equipment...there's no liability there if someone is hurt? This may not be DJ negligence but you'll certainly have to prove that fact--and insurance will fight for your side.
There are not that many scenarios where a DJ should have to use liability insurance....it's for the few times that might come up. If you have insurance, you have insurance fighting and negotiating on your behalf in a claim. If you don't have insurance it's you against big insurance. Besides...it's not very expensive to be fighting.
if the guests are a little unruly and knock over equipment...there's no liability there if someone is hurt? This may not be DJ negligence but you'll certainly have to prove that fact--and insurance will fight for your side.
There are not that many scenarios where a DJ should have to use liability insurance....it's for the few times that might come up. If you have insurance, you have insurance fighting and negotiating on your behalf in a claim. If you don't have insurance it's you against big insurance. Besides...it's not very expensive to be fighting.