Professional indemnity
Covers injury and property damage you cause to guests, equipment and other people's venues during performances, set up and rehearsals, and promoters often ask for it.
Insurance broker / Business types / Sport, culture and leisure
Insurance for artists, musicians, bands and stages in Germany
Your instrument is your tool, and your hands and voice are your income. Around them are promoters who want proof of liability cover, other people's stages where things get broken, and the question of what you live on if an injury ends the tour. The Künstlersozialkasse (KSK, the artists' social insurance fund) helps with pension and health insurance, but with nothing else.
The question almost everyone asks first
Is my instrument covered by my home contents insurance?
Usually not, once you earn money with it. Home contents insurance covers private belongings in your flat, often only against burglary, fire and water. Instruments used for work, transport in the car and damage on stage are almost always excluded. For that there is dedicated instrument or equipment insurance on an all risks basis.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Theft on the road
A band van outside the hotel, a guitar case on the station platform: instruments and gear are stolen deliberately and are hard to replace.
- 02
Damage on other people's stages
A speaker stack topples and injures a guest, fog fluid sets off the fire alarm, a cable scratches the parquet floor of the town hall.
- 03
The instrument itself
Temperature changes, a fall from the stage, a crack in the soundboard: repairs to fine instruments quickly run into four figures.
- 04
Cancellation and loss of work
Illness before the premiere, losing your voice mid tour: the fee is gone, but travel and crew costs remain.
- 05
Copyright and personal rights
A photo on the tour poster, an uncleared sample, a recording of the audience: legal warning letters often arrive months later.
- 06
Your body is your capital
Overworked hands, tinnitus, back problems from carrying gear: for musicians and performers, health is the real business asset.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Electronic equipment
Insures instruments, amplifiers, lighting and sound equipment on an all risks basis, including on the road and on stage.
Occupational disability
Protects your income if your hands, voice or hearing no longer allow you to work; the KSK pays nothing for this.
Accident insurance
Pays out for permanent effects of an accident, because as a self-employed artist you have no statutory accident cover unless you join the VBG voluntarily.
Depends on the business
Legal expenses insurance
Helps in disputes over fees, contracts with labels and agencies, or legal warning letters.
Car insurance
For the band van or transporter, ideally with fully comprehensive cover and a load module for the equipment.
What it costs: example prices
For solo artists, premiums are manageable. Costs rise with the value of the instruments, many performances abroad and your own productions with staff.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Professional indemnity | Self-employed musician with income of around 43,000 euros, 5 million euros cover | about 75 to 150 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Band with four members | about 160 to 400 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | Instruments and equipment worth up to 3,000 euros | about 50 to 90 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | Band set up with backline, mixing desk and lighting worth 30,000 euros | about 450 to 900 euros a year |
| Occupational disability | Musician, aged 30, monthly benefit of 1,500 euros up to age 67 | about 1,000 to 2,000 euros a year |
For comparison: Professional liability plus instrument cover for a set up worth up to 3,000 euros costs about as much a year as two sets of good guitar strings a month.
Guide figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026, based on published tariff examples and our own quoting experience. Income protection depends heavily on age, health and your exact work; some insurers only accept musicians with a loading.
Sources of the price examples
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Solo
For: solo artist, street musician, DJ or singer with a small set up
- Professional indemnity
- Electronic equipment
Together about 130 to 250 euros a year
Request this package02
Band
For: band or ensemble with its own backline and band van
- Professional indemnity
- Electronic equipment
- Car insurance
- Legal expenses insurance
Together about 1,300 to 2,800 euros a year
Request this package03
Career
For: professional musician or performer who lives from performing
- Professional indemnity
- Electronic equipment
- Occupational disability
- Accident insurance
- Legal expenses insurance
Together about 1,800 to 3,500 euros a year
Request this packageThe worst day on tour
Six things that really happen to musicians and stage people, all on a single tour day. Tap through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€28,000
-
At the motorway services the side window of the band van has been smashed. Two guitars and a laptop with the backing tracks are missing.
-
While loading, the flight case slides off the ramp and the neck of the double bass breaks.
-
A speaker stand tips over during the soundcheck and hits one of the venue's technicians on the shoulder.
-
The fog machine sets off the fire alarm; the fire brigade turns out and sends a bill for the call out.
-
The band van is reversed into a bollard at the stage door.
-
After the gig a legal warning letter arrives over a photo used on the tour poster.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Insure instruments on an all risks basis that also covers transport, performances and the unattended car up to a fixed time of day.
- Keep a list of your instruments with serial numbers, photos and receipts, and a valuation for vintage instruments.
- Check that your liability cover includes damage to hired or borrowed equipment and to venues.
- Choose income protection that is based on your specific artistic work, not on an alternative occupation the insurer could refer you to.
- Look at the VBG's voluntary cover for business owners: it covers accidents at work and on the way to work for a low contribution.
- Have performances abroad expressly included, otherwise cover often only applies in Europe.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We compare the small print
With instrument insurance, the clause on unattended vehicles decides everything. As a broker we show you where the policies differ.
We know how claims are settled
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. If an insurer argues about the value of a stolen instrument, we know which evidence counts.
Everything in one place
Liability, equipment, the band van and your income protection are all with us, matched to an irregular income.
No fee for you
The insurer pays our commission. Since 1989 you have been dealing with a family business that can be reached between two tours as well.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I need liability insurance as a musician?
Not by law, but many promoters and clubs ask for proof. Personal liability insurance usually does not cover paid performances, so you need professional liability cover.
What does instrument insurance cost?
For instruments worth up to about 3,000 euros it is around 50 to 90 euros a year. For valuable string instruments or a large backline the premium depends on the sum insured.
Does the Künstlersozialkasse pay after an accident?
No. The KSK pays part of your contributions to pension, health and long term care insurance. You have to arrange accident and income protection cover yourself.
Is our band covered through one member's policy?
Usually not. A band should be insured as a group, so that all members are covered at joint performances. That is often cheaper than four separate policies.
Are instruments in a parked car covered?
Only if the policy says so, often only in a locked boot and not overnight. Read this clause before you sign.
What happens if I have to cancel a concert?
You lose the fee, and depending on the contract the promoter may claim compensation. Event cancellation insurance exists, but it is usually taken out by the promoter. Agree in the contract who carries this risk.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Artist
The recommended covers are already ticked. Change what does not fit; we obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. You can write in English.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
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Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 90.11 Literarisches Schaffen und Musikkomposition
- 90.12 Bildende Kunst
- 90.13 Sonstige kunstschaffende Tätigkeiten
- 90.20 Darstellende Kunst
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
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Boat insuranceNAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker. Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated