Sundown Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Hey all, I’m changing insurance policies, and like many of you, I’ve amassed enough gear to warrant a rider for it’s protection. My question is this: Given how well software companies recognize/catalog purchases, would you include the value of software in your studio? I figure I’ve spent at least $3K over ~25 years on UAD plugins, probably another $2K on Waves, $2K on other plugins, and probably $2K for the latest Steinberg collection (if bought new). But if my rig went up in smoke and I got a new PC, most of that would be recoverable with a few mouse clicks and some download time. My gut says most of this is recoverable without insurance, but I’d be interested in other opinions/perspectives. Todd 1 Quote Sundown Finished: Gateway, The Jupiter Bluff, Condensation, Apogee Working on: Driven Away, Eighties Crime Thriller Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 My best guess is that any software that could be recovered from a hard drive failure doesn't need insurance. Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 I don't know if insurance companies will include software. It's a good question. I backup my software off-site. That's the best insurance I can think of. Notes ♫ Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Any software I use can be re-downloaded--this I know because I just got a new computer and am in the process of setting it up It was a good opportunity to look hard at what was on the old machine and ask--will I be using this? The answer was often, "no". So the new machine really doesn't have that many plugins installed on it in the end. I don't keep installs, and anyway they wouldn't have worked on the new machine--it's Apple silicon while my old one was Intel. Any plugin that hadn't been upgraded after this many years was automatically ruled out. The only things I'd really be concerned about would be my projects/files, which can be saved on one of my cloud locations. Speaking of, I need to get a little better about doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 The software I'm concerned about is the Band-in-a-Box aftermarket products I sell at nortonmusic.com and the >650 backing tracks I made myself for my duo s-cats.com They are all stored off-site. Anything else is replaceable. Notes ♫ Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philbo King Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 I don't insure software. I have been known to back it up to google drive though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgoo Posted May 18 Share Posted May 18 I use to have all my software insured. At some point, I thought to myself "duh, it's all downloadable" and deleted it from my policy. I'd add it back in a heartbeat if I thought it necessary, but I haven't found reason to yet. By the way, a few tips in case you don't know... 1/ If you make money with your gear, your homeowner's policy won't cover it. You need an Inland Marine policy. 2/ You want Replacement Cost, not Actual Cash Value. 3/ Clarion Insurance is an excellent company for insuring musical instruments (and no, I'm not affiliated with them). Quote Custom Music, Audio Post Production, Location Audio www.gmma.biz https://www.facebook.com/gmmamusic/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted May 18 Share Posted May 18 On 5/15/2024 at 9:45 AM, Stokely said: It was a good opportunity to look hard at what was on the old machine and ask--will I be using this? Ironic, I'm going through the same process. Got a MacBookAir 15" and am trying to keep it to a minimal setup. Quite surprised how easy it is to cut back. As for software and insurance, even at work we did not insure software. It is all replaceable. The only obsticle I can think of is older sample libraries on CD/DVD, and iLok. It can be a hassle trying to get companies to grant more iLok licenses. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundown Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Thanks guys - Much appreciated. I recently rolled my PC from Win7 to Win10, and I re-downloaded all of my software as part of that process. If my tower was cooked and I got a replacement, I would follow the same process. I don’t have anything worthy of Clarion coverage (though they are a good company for very valuable instruments), but I am doing a separate rider given the value of my gear. I have a great agent and everything is based on replacement value vs. original purchase. Thanks again. Todd 1 Quote Sundown Finished: Gateway, The Jupiter Bluff, Condensation, Apogee Working on: Driven Away, Eighties Crime Thriller Main axes: Kawai MP11 and Kurz PC361 DAW Platform: Cubase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 This does not seem likely. Software just gets reinstalled. You of course can include the hardware it’s installed in. But investigate, you may need a rider or additional insurance for instruments and studio items. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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