Business liability
Covers injury and property damage to clients and guests in the studio, including damage to the instruments they bring, where this is included.
Insurance broker / Business types / IT, media and creative
Insurance for recording studios, podcasters and radio stations in Germany
A mixing desk that goes silent after a leak, a podcast remark that gets you sued by a company, a session whose tracks have vanished. In a studio everything depends on equipment, files and words. This page shows which of these should be insured and what it costs.
The question almost everyone asks first
Is a podcaster liable for what guests say?
Often yes, because German courts are quick to treat whoever publishes a statement as having adopted it. If a guest makes false claims about a company, the injunction and damages claim are aimed at you. Professional indemnity that includes personality rights and media law checks the claim and pays justified demands; standard public liability does not cover this.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Water and power
Air conditioning, heating and pipes run above expensive kit. One leak or power surge hits desk, converters and computers all at once.
- 02
Other people's instruments
Bands bring guitars, amps and keyboards. If a vintage amp falls off its flight case, you are liable for its collector's value.
- 03
Lost sessions
A drive fails before backup and an expensive recording with session musicians has to be done again.
- 04
Statements and rights
Critical remarks about companies, unlicensed music in a jingle, quotes from other people's work: podcasts and stations receive warning letters.
- 05
Hearing and voice
Engineers and voice artists live off their ears and voices. Sudden hearing loss or tinnitus can end a career.
- 06
Burglary
Microphones, interfaces and laptops are small and sought after. Studios in back courtyards or basements are often poorly secured.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Electronic equipment
Replaces desk, converters, monitors and microphones even after power surges, operating errors and short circuits, on location too.
Business contents
Covers acoustic treatment, furniture, instruments and equipment against fire, escape of water and burglary.
Professional indemnity
Covers financial loss and claims arising from statements, music rights and lost recordings.
Depends on the business
Business interruption
Pays rent and lost bookings if the studio is out of action for weeks after damage.
Cyber insurance
Covers ransomware attacks on project servers and leaks of unreleased productions.
Occupational disability
Protects your income if your hearing or voice is no longer up to the job.
What it costs: example prices
Studio premiums depend mainly on the value of the equipment and whether it stays put or goes out on productions. Liability cover is cheap as long as no live events are involved.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Business liability | Small studio or podcast production, €3 million limit | about €100 to €300 a year |
| Electronic equipment | Fixed studio equipment worth €30,000 | about €200 to €500 a year |
| Electronic equipment | Mobile recording kit worth €10,000, worldwide, €250 excess | about €200 to €330 a year |
| Professional indemnity | Podcast or web radio with media law cover, €100,000 limit | about €250 to €600 a year |
| Business contents | Fit out, instruments and furnishings worth €40,000 | about €120 to €300 a year |
For comparison: Liability and studio equipment cover cost about as much a year as two days' studio hire with an engineer.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The mobile kit figure is derived from publicly quoted rates; the other values are guide figures from our own quoting work. We obtain the exact quote for you.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Podcast
For: Podcasters and voice artists with a home studio
- Business liability
- Professional indemnity
- Electronic equipment
Together about €450 to €1,000 a year
Request this package02
Studio
For: Recording studio with its own premises and client bookings
- Business liability
- Electronic equipment
- Business contents
- Business interruption
Together about €600 to €1,400 a year
Request this package03
Station
For: Local radio, web radio or production house with employees
- Business liability
- Professional indemnity
- Electronic equipment
- Business contents
- Business interruption
- Cyber insurance
Together about €1,800 to €4,500 a year
Request this packageThe worst day in the studio
Six things that really happen in studios, all on one Wednesday. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€55,000
-
A heating pipe in the control room burst overnight. Desk and converters have taken on water.
-
A guitarist sets up his amp, the case tips over and the old valve amp is damaged.
-
A power surge at switch on: two monitor speakers and an interface are dead.
-
A company sends a warning letter over a podcast episode in which a guest accused it of fraud.
-
Drying out takes the control room out of use for three weeks, and booked sessions have to be cancelled.
-
A break in via the courtyard: microphones and a laptop are gone.
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
- Have damage to clients' instruments and equipment expressly included in your public liability.
- Insure studio equipment under an electronics policy; contents insurance does not pay for power surges without a lightning strike or for operating errors.
- Include the acoustic fit out as fixtures in the sum insured; it is often worth more than you think.
- Podcasters and stations should have media law and personality rights named expressly in their professional indemnity.
- For location recording and live productions, the kit must also be covered outside the studio.
- Off site backups are the cheapest insurance against lost sessions and often reduce the cyber premium too.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We compare what really protects your kit
Fixed or mobile, new for old or current value, clients' instruments or not: as a broker we show you how several insurers differ.
We know claims from handling them ourselves
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. We know which invoices and photos are needed after water damage.
One contact for studio and private life
Studio, van, instruments and your own income protection are arranged together.
Family run since 1989
Free for you; the insurer pays our commission. You reach people who know your policies.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is studio equipment adequately protected by contents insurance?
Against fire, escape of water, storm and burglary, yes. For power surges, short circuits, operating errors and damage on location you need electronics insurance.
What does insurance for a small recording studio cost?
Liability, equipment, contents and loss of income usually come to €600 to €1,400 a year for a small studio.
Do I need insurance as a podcaster?
If you earn money from your podcast or talk about companies and people, you should have professional indemnity with media law cover. It starts at a few hundred euros a year.
Who pays if a client's instrument gets damaged in the studio?
If clients damage it themselves, usually nobody but them. If you or your staff were at fault, public liability pays, provided third party property in your care is included.
Are music rights covered?
Warning letters over music rights can be handled under professional indemnity with copyright cover, but only if there was no intent. Fees to GEMA, Germany's music royalties society, are never insured.
Which Berufsgenossenschaft is responsible?
For studios usually the VBG, the statutory accident insurer for this sector. Membership becomes compulsory once you employ staff; owners can insure themselves voluntarily.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Recording studio
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.
Related trades
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Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 59.20 Tonstudios; Herstellung von Hörfunkbeiträgen; Verlegen von bespielten Tonträgern und Musikalien
- 60.10 Hörfunkveranstalter und Verbreitung von Audioinhalten
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
Boat or yacht? Here we are not the broker but the underwriting agency, with our own policies and our own claims handling.
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