{"id":3877,"date":"2015-07-01T10:02:24","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T17:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/?p=3877"},"modified":"2015-07-01T10:02:24","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T17:02:24","slug":"what-to-do-when-your-dj-production-gear-gets-stolen-via-dj-techtools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mp3poolonline.com\/blog\/what-to-do-when-your-dj-production-gear-gets-stolen-via-dj-techtools\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Do When Your DJ \/ Production Gear Gets Stolen Via DJ TechTools"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"what-to-do-when-your-dj-gear-gets-stolen-640x360\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pretty terrifying prospect: return home or to your studio only to find broken glass, a busted lock, and empty shelves. DJs and producers often own lots of very valuable gear, so today we look at a few ways to help get your gear back and start making \/ mixing music ASAP after getting robbed. Even if you don\u2019t think you\u2019ll ever have anything stolen, read this article to learn what you can do now to make things easier if it ever happens!<\/p>\n

BEFORE: KEEPING YOUR GEAR SAFE<\/p>\n

A big part of being ready for any major disaster is any amount of work you\u2019ve done to prepare. This is why people have car insurance, earthquake survival kits, road flares \u2013 but as a DJ or producer there are quite a few things you can do to make sure a break-in isn\u2019t the end of your hard-earned gear and knowledge.<\/p>\n

Secure Your Gear<\/p>\n

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The obvious deterrant to theft is being smart about how you store your DJ gear. Lock your doors, even when you\u2019re at home, and restrict access to anyplace where you keep expensive gear. This goes beyond just locking your front door:<\/p>\n

Buy locks! Many pieces of DJ and computer gear have Kensington lock ports on the back of them. You can lock your gear to a harder-to-steal object like your desk.
\nKeep it on the D\/L: thefts are usually not random \u2013 so make sure anyone who knows that you\u2019ve got a complete DJ or production setup in your house or studio is trustworthy.<\/p>\n

Hide your small items: If you\u2019ve got small-but-valuable items like a back up harddrive or an OP-1 synth, consider finding an out-of-site spot for them to live when you\u2019re done using them. Robberies often are fast \u2013 grab what you see and run with it \u2013 so any effort to hide things could pay off.<\/p>\n

Get Renter\u2019s \/ Home Owner\u2019s Insurance<\/p>\n

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This is the ultimate saving grace \u2013 having insurance that covers your personal possessions and gear. If you do one thing on this list, do this one. Renter\u2019s insurance covers your possessions in your home, but it also often covers items that are locked in the trunk of your car \u2013 which is big for any DJ!<\/p>\n

Renter\u2019s insurance can be very cheap \u2013 as low as $10 a month. Even if you never have to take advantage of it, the peace of mind of being able to get the entire value of your DJ gear if it gets stolen is well worth it. If you\u2019re running a business, you might need to note in your application that you make money with the gear being covered as that often effects what type of policy they write you.<\/p>\n

One bonus tip: for students living in college dorms, if your parents have renter\u2019s or homeowners insurance, that might also cover you. Ask your parents to ask their agent! It\u2019s worth it. Trust me.<\/p>\n

BIG TIP \u2013 IF YOU DO GET RENTERS INSURANCE. READ THIS OR YOU WONT GET ANYTHING. <\/p>\n

I recently had my home broken into and they took my production laptop. Not the end of the world, it was backed up and I have renters insurance, except for one little thing: They will make you \u201cprove\u201d the loss. In order to actually get any money for your studio gear you will need the following items saved in advance or they may not pay a dime:<\/p>\n

Photo with you and the gear
\nPhoto of the gear in your space
\nOriginal Receipt of the Gear that proves what you paid.
\nA police report listing the same items as stolen
\n\u2013 Ean Golden<\/p>\n

Document Your Gear + Purchases<\/p>\n

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The only way that you can make sure you know everything you have is if you document it! This is important for if you do ever get something stolen. Here\u2019s a few documentation steps to take:<\/p>\n

Photograph Your Gear (ideally in context): this is good mostly so that when something happens, you can easily have proof that you really did own this thing and you\u2019re not just making it up.<\/p>\n

Make A List Of Serial Numbers (software and hardware): the police will want serial numbers on all of your physical gear so they can get it back to you if it\u2019s recovered. Having software serials written down will allow you to reactivate them on your new machine.<\/p>\n

Photograph Your Receipts: Every time you buy a piece of gear, just snap a quick pic of your receipt. This will allow you to quickly provide your insurance agent with an estimated value.<\/p>\n

Install A Laptop Tracking App Like Prey<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a service out there called Prey that you can install on computers and smart devices that allows you to track a device after it has been stolen, see where it\u2019s being used, and even take photos of the person using it. Police departments are often confused at how well this works \u2013 but having evidence of where a piece of your personal property is and the ability to show the cops really makes a difference. It\u2019s worth checking out as it\u2019s free!<\/p>\n

Back Up Everything<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a great way to create some backup compulsion in all of you. Next time you leave your home or studio where you spend most of your time mixing or producing, look back at it and imagine what you would do if suddenly everything in it vanished. This is why backing up your data is so important.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a great library of songs and incredible playlists, back them up. If you\u2019ve got an amazing work in progress album, back it up. You should be doing this every day, but we know that\u2019s not always realistic. Find a system that works for you and commit to it \u2013 here\u2019s our longer article on Backing Up Your Digital DJ Data.<\/p>\n

IF YOUR GEAR DOES GET STOLEN<\/p>\n

Ok, so bad things went down and now you have to deal with broken glass and missing equipment. First off \u2013 don\u2019t panic! Make sure you feel safe before you do anything else.<\/p>\n

Call The Cops<\/p>\n

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Yes, really, this is the first step. Even if you live in a really dangerous place where they won\u2019t come for hours. Odds are pretty good they won\u2019t be dusting for fingerprints. While you wait for them to show up:<\/p>\n

Photograph the scene of the crime
\nSee if you can figure out everything that is missing and make a list
\nAsk your neighbors if they saw anything
\nWhen the cops show up (if at all \u2013 if not, you often can open a police report online in major cities), give them your list of everything that was stolen (include those serial numbers). Make sure you get a police report from them \u2013 or at least a case number.<\/p>\n

Know that the cops likely won\u2019t solve this situation right away \u2013 but filing a report is important for insurance purposes.<\/p>\n

Call Your Insurance Agent<\/p>\n

Remember how I told you to get renter\u2019s insurance? This is where it pays off. They\u2019ll also ask for a complete description of what happened, what was stolen, etc. They\u2019ll want photos and serial numbers as well.<\/p>\n

The process often takes some time, but after a loss insurance agents are often very good about investigating what the cost of replacing your stolen items would be. When I had to make a renter\u2019s insurance claim, it was processed within just two weeks \u2013 allowing me to replace my stolen stuff. This will be different for every policy \/ agency.<\/p>\n

Check Craigslist \/ Pawn Shops<\/p>\n

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If your police department is good \/ doesn\u2019t have a ton of more serious stuff to deal with, they\u2019ll do this for you. Assume that they won\u2019t \u2013 keep your eye out on Craigslist for your stuff. If you see it, you can try to arrange a meeting with the person selling it and then call the cops and get them to come with you to reclaim your items.<\/p>\n

Pawn shops are actually required in most places to keep a log of info about the people selling things to them \u2013 so it\u2019s worth visiting or calling and asking about your super-high-value items.<\/p>\n

Whatever you do, don\u2019t go vigilante and attempt to take justice into your own hands. You\u2019re a DJ, not Batman. Police often will bust someone selling stolen goods on Craigslist and find tons of other items \u2013 which they can then check against their database of serial numbers and get back their owners \u2013 assuming they wrote their serial numbers down in the first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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