Ensuring the Safety of Your Musical Equipment: Best Practices for Musicians

Working as a professional musician in the UK is not the most stable of professions. A large majority of the nation’s musicians-by-profession are freelance, relying on ad-hoc or contracted work with limited reliability or longevity. Touring bands are making losses, and function work is drying up in a continually-difficult economic environment.

Every penny matters when it comes to working in music – a point made especially meaningful by the value of professional musical equipment. As a musician, you will be painfully aware of the value of the tools of your trade; you will also be aware that replacing said equipment could be disastrous to short-term career sustainability. The safety of your equipment is paramount, then, and particularly so as a gigging or travelling artist. What are some key considerations you can make to protect your investments, and stay in the game?

Transportation Guidelines

There have been enough horror stories of musical instruments being lost, stolen or damaged beyond repair in transit – and often as a byproduct of international air travel. Travelling with your instruments and equipment is a nerve-wracking thing at the best of times, but more so when left unattended or to the attention of others. There is little you can do to reduce the risk of breakage by luggage handlers, other than to not fly with equipment that holds sentimental value.

While on tour, leaving instruments in your vehicle is typically a bad idea; try to bring them with you into the venue or accommodation, or leave someone with the vehicle at all times. Using GPS tags can help you keep track of instruments in case of theft.

The Importance of Insurance

Theft and breakage are unavoidable risks when touring or working in a professional capacity, as you cannot eliminate them entirely. It is for this reason that musical instrument insurance is often considered a vital expense. In the event that the unthinkable does happen, you would be covered to replace your instruments without the serious financial hit it could otherwise represent.

Storing Instruments Safely

The final point is a general one, relating to the safe storage of your equipment at home, in your studio or between uses. Instruments can be left out, but should not be left in direct sunlight or by a radiator in your home. Fluctuating temperature and humidity are together dangerous for the condition of your instrument, particularly acoustic instruments – and the sun’s UV radiation can ruin the varnish on wooden instruments. Safe storage is, in most cases, storage in a hard case with a packet of silica gel to absorb moisture from the air.