You might remember a few weeks back we posted a quiz for insurance newbies. If you happened to miss that one, we recommend you take 5 minutes to see how you do before reading the follow-up advice below.
Check it out here: https://performermag.com/music-news/take-our-5-minute-musician-insurance-quiz/
If you’re headed out on tour this summer, or playing some special festival gigs or other live events, it’s well worth your time investment.
OK, got that out of the way? How’d you do? Great!
Now that you’ve been given a quick primer on some liability insurance basics for musicians, let’s move on to a more advanced think piece. Specifically, we want to demonstrate scenarios that could arise on stage, and see would the best course of action would be (and contrast that with some, shall we say less-advisable options). So, if your brain can handle another quiz-style rundown, let’s get to it.
SAMPLE SCENARIO
Someone gets injured at your summer concert gig, and the venue manager starts screaming that it’s your fault. The concertgoer is clearly in pain, and things are starting to get tense and panicky in the crowd.
DON’T
If your first response is to get defensive about whose fault the unfortunate scenario is, and you begin yelling back at the venue manager, we’re gonna stop you right there. This is obviously a big DON’T especially if you have an entertainer insurance policy in place for your performances.
DON’T offer medical advice or assistance, even if your intentions are good. If you are not a qualified and trained medical professional yourself, leave it to those who are. Even with good intentions, you don’t want to accidentally exacerbate the situation or potentially make any injuries worse through misdiagnosis, mishandling or negligence. Leave it to the professionals, please!
DON’T leave the venue, at least not until you’ve been cleared to do so by those in charge and/or by the authorities. Depending on the severity of the situation, and for a variety of reasons (see below) this would be 100% inadvisable at this time.
Remember, your insurance agency is there to help protect you and provide guidance in these instances. Instead of jumping to your own defense, getting heated and possibly getting into a war of words (or worse, escalating the situation physically and/or causing additional injuries), let’s take a look at you probably should DO instead.
DO
First things first – everyone’s safety is the first priority, so if there is a need for medical professionals to assist in the situation, ensure that they are brought to the scene to provide the necessary care. Personal safety trumps all, no matter what the scenario – let’s all be caring human beings above all else. Once we have determined that the necessary care or treatment is being administered, then we can do the next thing.
DO take a deep breath. Yes, take a breath, take a moment, and gather your senses. Things are stressful enough right now, so one moment to reset might make all the difference. Once you’ve re-oriented yourself, the next step would be to stay on scene, don’t leave. If the scenario is serious enough, you may need to provide witness statements to the authorities or provide relevant information to first responders. So please don’t take the “flight” response just because things went awry – that will only lead to bigger problems. Displaying anything that could be construed the wrong way at a time like this, even if you are ultimately judged to be not responsible for the occurrence at the venue, is not going to be a benefit to you during the process or claims phase if it comes to that.
Next, if necessary, DO pick up the phone and inform your insurance representative that a claim may be incoming against you. Calmly (at least as calmly as possible) explain what happened in frank terms, even if you were directly the cause for the aforementioned injury now is the time things are most fresh in your mind. They need the absolute truth to provide the best advice, so be clear and explain exactly what happened in as much detail as you can. Same goes for any authorities who may question you – DO be honest, truthful and forthcoming with ALL facts, regardless of what the ultimate repercussions may be.
Your agent or rep will be in the best position to go over the situation, lay out your options if a claim does indeed result from the scenario, and guide you towards the best possible solution during the immediate aftermath of the event, and whatever legalities arise in the days, weeks and months ahead (if any).
Rest assured that this is what they are there for, and why you retained a liability policy in the first place.
Look, these things happen and excuse our blunt language, but they suck. For the injured party, of course, for you, for the venue, for other concertgoers – it’s a lousy situation all around for all involved. But keeping a cooler head, and bringing in the experts immediately to help navigate the (potentially complicated) waters is your best course of action and a definite DO.
Whew, just laying out a fictional situation was stressful, am I right?
We fully understand stress makes people do things and act in ways they might not under normal circumstances…but these scenarios are not normal circumstances. So DON’T try to tackle things by yourself, or handle the situation on your own. DO let those with the proper training and experience act on your behalf when necessary and appropriate; it’s what they do.
You make music, you’re not an insurance expert. And quite frankly, no one expects you to be. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared and armed with at least a basic understanding of how things work, how to deal with problems and what to do in unfortunate situations.
So take advantage of your agent’s background, knowledge and guidance to ensure that even if you are found responsible for injury or property damage, you are able to address the situation properly and take the correct actions with the right plan in place to move forward.
HEAD HERE TO GET STARTED NOW
So, need a break from the hypothetical? Do you think maybe now’s the time to start checking out live entertainer insurance for yourself? Yeah, we thought so…
Rest assured, there are experts to help you through the process and alleviate that stress, so talk to an agent today about your needs or get started applying online at https://www.kandkinsurance.com/programs/event-insurance/bands-and-performing-groups-insurance for bands and https://www.kandkinsurance.com/programs/event-insurance/performer-insurance for solo musicians and performers.
SPECIAL BONUS!
Download this FREE BONUS quick guide, including the article here and some other helpful tips when it comes to navigating the waters of entertainer insurance.
