PROTECT YOURSELF
By Curt Grubb

On Monday evening, June 2nd my band, Grasshopper Takeover, was at the Foo Fighters' concert at the Mid-America center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, promoting an upcoming show. After about an hour of fliering I happened to glance a quarter mile into the distance and, as unthinkable as it was at the time, I saw our van and all our gear being driven away by someone other than a band member. It was so unbelievable that we all immediately ran to where we had parked the van and, sure enough, the van I had seen being driven away was indeed ours and it, along with nearly $25,000 in gear, had been stolen. It was a sickeningly horrible and indescribable feeling to see everything we owned in the world being taken from us right before our very eyes.

I immediately called 911 in hopes that an A.P.B. could be put out as the van could have been no further than a square mile in any direction from where I stood. Sadly -- though not the fault of police -- procedure dictates that an A.P.B. cannot be put out until a report has been filed and the report wasn't filed until at least an hour after the incident. I asked the police at the scene what our chances of ever seeing our gear again were and they replied, "Slim to none." It was as despairing a moment as any could be.

Over the next few days, we went through tremendous efforts to contact anyone and everyone who would listen. Every radio station and TV station in the area was contacted and all did a series of stories on the news. We posted over 5000 fliers throughout Omaha, Lincoln and Council Bluffs that included a gear list, serial numbers, information regarding the heist, and a $5000 reward. Every police station, pawn shop and music store in 8 states surrounding Nebraska was contacted via fax or email.

The night after our van and gear was stolen, the story of the heist aired on every TV station in the area. Only hours after the newscasts we received notice that the perpetrators had driven our stolen van to a North Omaha neighborhood and set it on fire, completely destroying it. We were devastated once again.

The following day we received a solid tip that skyrocketed our hopes. Five hours passed from the time the tip came in while we waited for search warrants to be issued and the witness to be located and brought to the scene by police. The garage under question where music equipment had been seen being unloaded from a white van only hours after our van had been stolen was opened by detectives but to our dismay the gear in question was not ours. And, yet again, we were devastated.

Then on the fourth day of the ordeal, I was awoken at 5:30am with the phone call we had been so desperately waiting for. The Omaha Police Department had found our gear... every last bit of it! We could finally eat, breathe and sleep again and were unquestionably the luckiest and most grateful band in America. And just when I was already living one of the greatest days of my life, I received a phone call from a good friend telling me that he had bought us a new van! (I really should have bought a lottery ticket that day!)

Long and incredible roller-coaster-ride of a story short… we learned many lessons from this incident. Most notably: Protect Yourself At All Costs! There are steps you must take TODAY to save yourself and your livelihood.

1. Insure your most valuable items for theft and property damage. Insuring gear is expensive (especially if you're a touring band) but there are ways to get cheaper insurance such as belonging to the Musicians Union in your area or becoming a member of ASCAP or BMI. In both instances, insurance can be acquired through the organization at cheaper rates or may be subsidized should you acquire it through a local broker of your choosing. Also, quotes and policy types vary greatly so be sure to research thoroughly.

Chris Heath of MusicPro Insurance says that their program provides worldwide coverage designed for touring musicians and artists. He says their rates—which are based on total equipment value—are some of the best offered in the market. He says their annual program is perfect for bands as well as the individual musician, who can receive custom coverage based on a dollar rate per $100 with a $50 minimum. "It's very affordable coverage to protect musicians and their livelihood," Heath explains.

MusicPro requires a schedule (a list of instruments with serial and model numbers) and a dollar value you would like to insure the equipment for. You can alter or delete items covered in your policy at any time. Heath says that claims are generally processed within a week of receipt of the claim for cases such as accidental breakage, although theft cases may take a little longer because of the necessary police report required for theft/burglary claims. Even so, Heath says that their coverage proves much easier and painless than typical homeowners claims.

Visit www.musicproinsurance.com for more information or to start a new policy online.

2. Gather and document all serial numbers to every piece of equipment you have no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential. This will help you greatly in the event your gear is stolen as you can quickly provide police the serial numbers to be entered into a national registrar called the NCIC database. By law, pawn shops and music stores are required to submit serial numbers with every transaction. The serial numbers are then submitted to and cleared by the NCIC system. If your serial numbers are in this database then your sold and purchased gear will be immediately red flagged and you will be notified.

3. Create a detailed list of all equipment.

4. Document your equipment photographically.

5. Install the best alarm system available on the market in your van and trailer. If available in your area, this installation should also include a LoJack/GPS tracking system.

I realize that much of this may seem costly and time consuming and, as such, possibly unreasonable. But think of it like this and ask yourself: Without your instruments, what are you? Who are you? What would you do? How would you create music? How would you make money? How would you keep your dreams alive? How will you stay connected to the world around you? How will you express yourself? How will you be able to be you? For all true musicians out there, believe me when I say that aside from something bad physically happening to yourself or a band member, having your equipment stolen is the worst thing that could ever happen.

My band's story, with regards to the full and complete recovery of our gear (and the new van), is a one in a million miracle and for that we are eternally grateful. But, most likely, you will not be so lucky. So, take the necessary steps, do the right thing for yourself and your future and protect yourself today!

Curt Grubb
Grasshopper Takeover
www.grasshoppertakeover.com