New Jersey DJ Insurance – NJ – cost and types of policies
This is the ultimate guide for existing or start-up DJs in New Jersey – (NJ) that contains everything you will need to know about DJ insurance for your business.
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We will also explain some of the different steps you must take to turn your dream of making money from DJing into a reality.
So you’ve chosen to become a DJ in New Jersey.
Maybe you came to this decision after you listened to someone talk about a great DJ they saw last night, or you danced to the DJ at the favorite club in New Jersey, and now you really want to give it a go.
But, the question is – do you really know how to turn a dream into a real business?
If you were starting up twenty years ago, all you would have needed was a few turntables and a basic mixer.
But DJing in New Jersey has changed since then. You may still choose to use a turntable, but in a totally different way.
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In addition to turntables, DJs in New Jersey now want CD players, multichannel controllers and digital software.
This means you need dedicated equipment like effects units, drum machines, and other hardware.
Your up-front investment in the gear may be heavy, but have you also given any attention to what will happen if the gear is lost?
For this possibility, you should seriously be thinking about taking out adequate insurance.
What kind of DJ are you?
The answer to this question will decide what kind of, and how much, insurance you need.
In the entertainment world in NJ, many of the clubs employ full-time disk jockeys.
If you get such a position, you will have a fixed workplace, like a nightclub or dance hall, where you are the feature.
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Often, having a popular DJ at a club is what is drawing in it’s customers, so you are very valuable to them.
In New Jersey, there is also a lot of requirement for mobile DJs who move their services to temporary premises for a single or short-term performance.
It is essential to remember that whether you are a club DJ or mobile DJ, you are running your DJ services as a business, and need to carry all of the sorts of mobile DJinsurance we talk about below.
DJing is an endless learning curve and you need still be learning new tricks like crowd interaction, leading you on to better things.
Once you have good DJ skills, try producing your own genre of music. As soon as people in New Jersey get to know you for your music you should show off your work and you’ll end up getting gigs.
Master crowd interaction so that you become as a stage performer who gets the audience to enjoy watching you put on a show.
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It is all about presentation. People in New Jersey go out to see their favorite DJ’s because of what they are doing, not because of their equipment.
What does a mobile DJ do?
A mobile DJ in New Jersey is sometimes called a house party DJ, because mostly the venues are private parties.
Whatever, you need to choose the right gear, because mobility and easy storage are key factors.
Instead of individual components like turntables, mixers, records, CDs and all the other gear that a club DJ has stored safely in his room, a mobile DJ has to move it onsite, and back to base, for every gig.
Most mobile DJs in New Jersey select a slightly more expensive option which is an all-in-one DJ system that operates off a portable computer.
Such a system is a new component that makes sense for house party DJ’s because it means you’ll have less equipment to carry.
You may pay a little more but you could save big in the end. There’s less equipment to get damaged, so your insurance can cover you when someone spills their drink on your workbench!
What does a mobile DJ need?
The old fashioned route in New Jersey said you needed only a pair of turntables with a mixer, plus speakers. Currently, you maybe want to keep the traditional feel but get yourself some current CD players or CD decks.
If you decide to mix tracks directly from your laptop or computer using this traditional set-up, try blending tracks directly from your laptop or your iPhone using an all-in-one DJ controller.
Or else you decide to go purely digital, because records are the most expensive source and you won’t need to be lugging around heavy bags to your gigs.
If you are trained, you can try mixing digitally on your tablet using commercial software. You could become a top-notch DJ immediately after you download the correct program to your laptop!
There are even programs available for free that could get you mixing right away!
As long as you already have a laptop, this is the cheapest way to become a DJ in NJ especially for mobile DJs that have to travel a lot and can’t take hardware with them.
How do you get DJ gigs?
Most of the popular DJs in New Jersey get going by making some mixtapes and distribute them to friends and club owners.
The mixes my be heard by others on Reddit and elsewhere online. Get feedback, because it’s important and will let you know if you’re ready for professional work.
Managers in New Jersey will usually ask you to preview before they risk letting you play live. Be ready for this by preparing your stuff at its best.
Use Twitter to upload mixes, do live DJ shows, post pictures of your gigs, and promote yourself all around New Jersey.
Have you though about trying out as New Jersey radio DJ, or digital radio is another route.
You will keep the option to mix and present from home perhaps in the form of a podcast that people can download and listen to whenever suits them.
It’s a useful way of getting your name in front of the public, and so building a following. You could promote this over a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, or a website.
What kind of insurance does a DJ need in New Jersey?
Every business in New Jersey carries risks of unforeseen things, and so needs several basic kinds of insurance, to protect you in case something unexpected happens while you are working.
The most vital kinds of basic DJ business insurance in New Jersey are:
General liability insurance / Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance for DJs is important when some accident causes injury to a person, or damage to their property, while they are in the place where you are working, you could(may be sued for damages and new jersey court can rule that you are liable.
For DJs, some of the most common examples are trips and falls because you have many cords as well as boxes in the venue where the event is happening, and people are dancing all around the floor.
If some person before, during or after an event of which you are the DJ has such a fall, they may claim that your cables or boxes were placed improperly, and sue for the damage or injury.
You could be held responsible for the consequences and you could have to cough-up large amounts.
One problem for mobile DJs in New Jersey is the chance of fires caused by hot lighting positioned around the venue. It may fall or start a fire if something inflammable comes into contact.
The same goes since there is the chance of improper electrical wiring starting a fire.
DJ General liability insurance in New Jersey can cover your for all these conceivable claims. Normally, small DJs take around $1 million cover in mobile DJ public liability insurance for a single claim, and $2 million for the full year.
Professional Liability insurance / Error & Omission insurance for DJs in new jersey
Imagine where you are hired as the DJ for a dance night for an important employer, and an accident stops you from showing up, or your mixer malfunctions and the whole event has to be cancelled.
Now the customer could sue for the expected revenue from the event, as well as damages for loss of reputation and other such losses.
In case a court decides against you, you will have to fund the money from your own bank.
Equipment insurance
New Jersey disk jockey’s most important asset is the gear is the highly specialized gear for music selection, speakers, lights, cameras and a whole basket of other paraphernalia that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, DJ equipment insurance in New Jersey is important.
It represents a big liability if you are renting or hiring the equipment, and so you must insure it against the possible risks, such as theft, malicious damage, fire, water damage etc.
Your New Jersey DJ business could freeze without the right equipment, so you are not only losing the value of the assets, but also future earning.
Commercial Vehicle insurance
Most mobile DJs in New Jersey have to take their work gear to where it is needed, like function halls, sports clubs and other venues.
Although it fits into your private car, it’s essential to know that in New Jersey your regular vehicle insurance will not cover the DJ equipment in the event of an accident, fire, theft or any other loss.
At least you need to add commercial cover to private vehicle insurance, but you are much more covered when you take out a commercial vehicle insurance policy in New Jersey so that you are fully covered in case of a claim.
Can DJs get temporary insurance if they are not working full-time?
Some insurance companies in New Jersey have begun to sell special kinds of DJ event insurance cover where a DJ can nominate a specific period when he or she wants to cover, if they are not working full-time.
You will pay less DJ insurance in NJ cost by having lower premiums while still having the same risk cover.
You buy the cover for a specific period, like a day, or for a week starting on the stated date.
If you are a casual mobile DJ who works in new jersey on bar mitzvahs in homes, then you will have a schedule of bookings, so you can take out the cover for those dates only with temporary DJ insurance or DJ insurance for one day or DJ liability insurance monthly basis.
You must take out all of the same kinds of public liability insurance to protect yourself from the possible claims.
The great effect for you is that you do not end up wasting money paying yearly premiums covering times when you are not looking for full-time DJ equipment insurance cover.