Figuring out what insurance your band needs can feel more intimidating than sight-reading a new song in front of a live audience. To help relieve that pressure, we’ve reviewed, compared, and summarized the best band insurance options below.
- Best overall: Insurance Canopy — based on customization options and overall value
- Customizable short-term coverage options (hour/day/month): Thimble
- Coverage for large bands and musical groups: K&K Insurance
- Versatile business coverage bundling: NEXT
- Covers large audience sizes: Specialty Insurance Agency
*Note: Transparency is one of Insurance Canopy’s core brand values. This guide was created with the most recent and verifiable information available to help our readers identify which provider is best for their business (even if it’s not us).
The Top 5 Band Insurance Providers
To provide an honest comparison, our buyer persona was an Ohio state-based band with two members, no employees, and an annual revenue under $50,000.
| Provider | Starting Price | Coverages Included | Base Coverage Limit Compared | Same Day COI? | Standout Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Insurance Canopy |
$18.50/month or $199/ year
$59/event |
General liability, personal and advertising injury, products – completed operations |
$2,000,000
general liability limit $1,000,000 personal and advertising injury limit $2,000,000 products – completed operations limit |
✅ Yes |
Fast COI + add-ons for gear & cyber liability |
|
Thimble |
Varies |
General liability, personal and advertising injury |
$1,000,000 general liability limit |
✅ Yes |
Convenience, customizable event policies |
|
K&K Insurance |
Varies |
General liability, product liability |
$1,000,000 per occurrence general liability limit, $5,000,000 total limit |
❌ 24-48 hours |
10-day event insurance plus coverage for large musical groups |
|
NEXT |
Starts at $19/month |
General liability
|
$2,000,000 general liability limit
|
✅ |
Adjustable limits options, add-ons for other business coverages |
|
Specialty Insurance Agency |
Varies |
General liability |
$2,000,000 general liability limit |
✅ Yes |
Covers performances for up to 10,000 people |
Insurance Canopy: Best Overall Insurance
Pros
- Affordable
- Quick and easy application
- Customizable coverage with an equipment coverage option
Cons
- Doesn’t cover some genres or touring groups
Cost
- $18.50/month or $199/year
- $59/event
Key Coverages Offered
- General liability
- Products – completed operations
- Personal and advertising injury
- Damage to premises rented to you
- Medical expense
- Unlimited additional insureds (included in annual policies, +$5 on event policies)
- Equipment coverage
- Cyber liability
Covered Music Genres & Groups
- Any group, individual, or genre other than those currently excluded
- Excluded: heavy metal, punk, raves, touring groups, and crowds known to be over 1,000
Standout Features
- Music-specific policies
- Does not exclude rap or hip-hop
- Fast COIs
- Easily customized coverage
- User-friendly online dashboard
Insurance Canopy offers the best insurance for musicians and bands. Its competitive prices and A+ coverage rating make it the best bang for your buck on the market. It is affordable, customizable, and easy to manage, with 4.8/5 stars on Google.
Thimble: Short-Term and Irregular Gig Workers
Pros
- Customizable short-term policies
- Quick application process
- Convenient mobile app
Cons
- High online purchase transaction fee(s)
- Online customer support only
- Costly long-term coverage
Cost: Custom Quotes
Key Coverages Offered
- General liability
- Professional liability
- Customer property protection
- Business equipment protection
- Cyber liability
- Business owners package (BOP)
Music Genres & Groups
- No information available about genre-specific coverage or exclusions
Standout Features
- Versatile event or short-term policy options
- Option to add professional liability to policy
- Has a free mobile app
Thimble offers very short-term event insurance options with customizable policy periods. Policies range from several hours to a full month, and you can choose the specific hours your coverage starts and ends. This makes Thimble a convenient option for gig workers who only perform sporadically.
K&K Insurance: Coverage for Large Bands and Musical Groups
Pros
- Event insurance covers 10 days
- Sexual Abuse/Sexual Molestation add-on option
- Covers groups up to 30 people
- Offers limits up to $5,000,000
Cons
- Outdated and less user-friendly application
- Higher premiums
- Unclear if equipment coverage is available
- Excludes “electronic, techno, hip hop, rap or metal, or screamo”
Cost: Custom Quotes
Key Coverages Offered
- General liability
- Products-completed operations
- Damage to premises rented to you
- Bodily injury to participants
- Medical payment
- Sexual Abuse/Sexual Molestation
Covered Music Genres & Groups
- Choral groups, big bands, drum corp/bugle corp, ensembles, non-touring bands, bluegrass, blues, classical, country, ethnic/world, folk, jazz, oldies, pop/soft rock, R&B, religious/gospel, swing
Standout Features
- Includes a commercial general liability broadening endorsement that expands the policy to include various additional coverages in greater detail
- Event policies cover a 10-day period
K&K Insurance provides 70+ years of experience and coverage for large musical groups like orchestras or big bands, with coverage for groups up to 30 members.
NEXT Insurance: Bundling and Business Insurance Packages (BOPs)
Pros
- Multiple limit options for their primary coverage types
- Instant Certificate of Insurance (COI)
Cons
- No single event coverage
- Don’t have specific coverage for musicians and bands
- Online/AI customer service only; must go through the AI chatbot to be connected with live service reps
Cost: From $19/month
Key Coverages Offered
- General liability
- Commercial auto and property
- Commercial umbrella
- Workers’ comp
- Tools and equipment coverage
- Professional liability
- Employment-related practices liability (EPLI)
Covered Music Genres & Groups
- No information available about genre-specific coverage or exclusions
Standout Features
- Offers a wide range of coverage types and limits
NEXT offers annual-only band policies through its Entertainers page. Its bundling options provide more business-operations coverage like commercial auto, commercial umbrella, or workers compensation coverage.
Specialty Insurance Agency: Niche Performers and Large Audiences
Pros
- Reasonably affordable base policy
- Higher audience size limit
- Three limit options
Cons
- Premiums increase for each additional band member
- Excluded music genres: electronic music festival, gothic, hard core, heavy metal, hip hop, rap, or rave concert performers.
Cost: Custom quote
Key Coverages Offered
- General liability
- Business personal property (inland marine)
- Terrorism risk coverage
Covered Music Genres & Groups
- Bands
- Children’s entertainers
- DJs
Standout Features
- Covers groups performing for up to 10,000 people
- Totally paperless program
- Coverage designed for niche performers
Speciality Insurance Agency started as an insurer for circus acts. Their experience with non-traditional performers makes them well-suited for bands that may have unique performance gimmicks. While most insurers limit audience sizes to ~1,000 people, their stated limit is considerably higher, at 10,000 people.
What to Look for When Buying Band or Musician Insurance
First, you need to know what is most important to your band or music group. For example, do you need insurance for a one-time gig or ongoing performances throughout the year? Or, do you need insurance for your instruments and sound equipment, too?
Key factors to look for when buying band insurance in general:
- Policy periods: Do you need coverage for a 365-day (annual) time period or shorter? If you only need insurance for a short period, look for single-event options.
- Exclusions: Check the insurance carrier’s list of excluded genres or activities before purchasing to ensure your band will actually be covered.
- Coverage limits: Do state laws or your performance venues require a minimum amount of coverage? Look for policies that have coverage limits that meet these minimums.
Coverage types to look for:
- General Liability: You need this — it’s the most commonly required insurance for all performers. It applies to third-party injuries or property damage caused by your band or its operations. For example, a fan’s slip-and-fall injury or accidental damage to a venue’s stage.
- Products-Completed Operations: Coverage that applies to damage or injuries caused by your products or services after they are completed or delivered. For example, you sell defective merch that injures a fan, and they decide to sue. If you sell merch, you want this coverage.
- Damage to Premises Rented to You: Coverage for accidental damage to rented spaces. If you rent any space like a recording studio or rehearsal room, you need this coverage.
- Personal and Advertising Injury: Coverage for non-physical injuries like defamation (libel and slander) and invasion of privacy. Good to have for any band.
- Equipment and Gear Coverage: Insurance that covers damage to or theft of your instruments and other important equipment. You need this to protect the gear you own (general liability alone won’t cover it).
- Cyber Liability Coverage: Insurance for cybersecurity threats and data breaches — get this coverage if you sell tickets or merch online.
- Additional Insureds: You need the option to add “additional insureds” to your policy for when venues or event organizers ask to be included on your insurance.
If you get no other type of insurance, get general liability insurance for your band to protect your performances now and your finances forever.
Top Questions About the Best Band Insurance Options
Can I Get Band Insurance for Just One Day?
Yes. Insurance Canopy offers single-event band insurance that covers three consecutive days for just $59.
Thimble also provides event coverage for one day or less. Policy time periods are chosen during the application and checkout process.
Should Bands Have Public Liability Insurance?
Yes. Public liability insurance is essentially the same as general liability insurance. They both refer to insurance coverage that applies to harm you may cause to the public.
Can I Get a COI From Insurance Canopy Online?
Yes! Getting a certificate of insurance (COI) is easy with Insurance Canopy. Instantly access your COI any time by following these steps:
- Log in to your online dashboard
- Locate the “Download Documents” section
- Click on “Proof of Insurance” to download your COI
Once you click “proof of insurance,” your COI will download in seconds. You can print it or save a copy to an electronic device to share.
Band Insurance Isn’t Just Paperwork, It’s Peace of Mind
Choosing the right insurance provider helps your band avoid last-minute scrambling and stress. While all the providers listed are reputable, Insurance Canopy is our top pick for most musicians thanks to our affordability, flexible coverage, and ease of use.
Get a free quote today to start booking gigs with confiden
