Why do entertainers and performers need insurance?
Whether you perform as a magician, a singer, Santa Claus, or a clown, your goal is to delight your audience. However, providing entertainment at special events and private parties comes with numerous risks. Entertainer and performer insurance provides financial protection against accidental injuries, damaged property, and claims that material was plagiarized.
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What types of insurance do performers and entertainers need?
These insurance policies cover the most common risks of performing.
Business owner's policy
A BOP bundles commercial property insurance and general liability coverage under one plan. It's often the most cost-effective type of commercial insurance for performers.
- Injuries caused by an accident
- Accidents that damage property
- Stolen or damaged business property
General liability insurance
This policy covers basic performance risks, such as a juggling accident that injures someone in the audience. It's also called public liability insurance for entertainers.
- Audience injuries
- Accidental damage to a venue
- Libel and other advertising injuries
Professional liability insurance
This policy, also called errors and omissions insurance (E&O), covers lawsuits related to the quality of your work. You can often combine it with a general liability policy or BOP.
- Mistakes in a performance
- Accusations of poor quality
- Other negligence claims
Workers’ compensation insurance
Most states require workers' comp for entertainment businesses with employees. It also protects sole proprietors from work injury costs that health insurance might deny.
- Employee medical expenses
- Disability benefits
- Lawsuits from employee injuries
Commercial auto insurance
Commercial auto insurance covers financial losses when a performer's vehicle is involved in an accident. Most states require this coverage for vehicles registered to a business.
- Property damage caused by your vehicle
- Bodily injuries from an auto accident
- Vehicle theft and vandalism
Cyber insurance
This policy helps mimes, body painters, ventriloquists, and other performers recover from data breaches. It's recommended for any business that stores personal information.
- Customer notification costs
- Data breach investigations
- Fraud monitoring services
How much is performer insurance?
Low-risk entertainers, such as belly dancers and face painters, can expect to pay less for insurance than acrobats, aerialists, and others with higher risks.
Factors that affect business insurance costs include:
- Type of performer, such as juggler, singer, comedian, Santa, or clown
- Business property and equipment
- Business income
- Types of insurance purchased
- Policy limits and deductibles
- Any exclusions or endorsements, such as an additional insured
How do I get entertainer insurance?
It's easy to get performer liability insurance if you have your company information on hand. Our application will ask for basic facts about your business, such as revenue and number of employees. You can buy a policy online and get a certificate of insurance with Insureon in three easy steps:
- Complete a free online application.
- Compare insurance quotes and choose a policy.
- Pay for your policy and download a certificate.
Insureon's licensed agents work with top-rated U.S. insurance companies to find the right coverage for your entertainment business, whether you work as an independent contractor or hire employees.
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FAQs about business insurance for performers and entertainers
Find answers to common questions about insurance coverage for the entertainment industry.
Can you get entertainer and performer insurance for a one-day event?
Yes, it's possible to buy one-day special event insurance or short-term liability insurance. For instance, you could buy single-event insurance for a puppeteer act at a birthday party, or seasonal insurance for a fall theater series.
However, there are several reasons to opt for year-round coverage instead:
- It's expensive to stop and start coverage. Performers who cancel their policies may see increased premiums or have difficulty restarting coverage, as it's a red flag for insurers.
- It may cost more in the long run. Going without insurance leaves you exposed to costly risks. For example, a storage unit could catch fire and destroy a performer's equipment while they're uninsured.
- Some policies won't provide coverage. Occurrence-based policies like general liability continue to cover incidents that happened when you were insured, but that's not the case for claims-made policies like professional liability insurance, which differ in several ways. For protection against lawsuits filed after an event occurs, you'll need to keep your professional liability coverage active.
Do entertainers need event cancellation insurance?
Event cancellation insurance is a specialized type of coverage for performers. It protects against financial losses and liability claims related to postponement, cancellation, or relocation of a live event, typically due to circumstances outside your control.
Here are a few examples:
- A hurricane forces the rescheduling of an outdoor concert.
- A DJ's venue closes unexpectedly.
- A public speaker has a scheduling conflict.
This policy helps you recover non-refundable down payments and booking fees, including the cost of cancelled services such as catering or flowers. You can often add it to your commercial general liability policy or buy a standalone event cancellation policy.
What other types of insurance should entertainers and performers consider?
As part of a comprehensive risk management strategy, performers often invest in the following insurance products:
- Commercial property insurance covers your office and its contents in the event of a fire, storm, or burglary. If you don't have an office, you can add a business personal property (BPP) endorsement to your general liability policy to cover the items used by your business.
- Inland marine insurance covers items while they are in transit or off-site, such as audio equipment, instruments, and props brought to venues.
- Products-completed operations insurance pays for legal costs and other losses if your show or merchandise causes a bodily injury or property damage after you've finished performing.
- Business interruption insurance helps your business recover from a forced closure due to a fire or other covered property claim. It's also called business income insurance.
- Equipment breakdown insurance protects against financial losses caused by the unexpected failure of equipment or machinery that your business depends on.
- Commercial umbrella insurance, similar to excess liability insurance, provides coverage when your general liability, commercial auto, or employer's liability insurance reaches the limit on a claim.
- Builder's risk insurance provides reimbursement for any damage or loss of a structure-in-progress, such as a movie set or a stage.
- Environmental insurance covers lawsuits and damages related to pollution, such as an accusation that a smoke machine caused a respiratory problem or damaged a venue.
- Management liability insurance pays for legal costs related to decisions made by managers and executives. It includes several types of coverage, such as directors and officers insurance (D&O), employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), and fiduciary insurance.
Our insurance agents can help you find the right coverage for your small business, giving you peace of mind to focus on your performance.