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New study reveals that 24 per cent of musicians have had gear stolen before
Almost half of those who had gear stolen said it was gone forever.
Image: MoMo Productions via Getty Images
A new study has revealed that 24% of musicians have had gear stolen, with almost half of those never recovering their lost item.
The research, which was conducted by Allianz Musical Insurance (AMI), polled 1,000 people to shine a light on how musicians turn to their instruments in need of emotional support, unveiling that almost a quarter have had gear lost or stolen, and 40 per cent stating that a loss of an instrument would devastate them.
Despite this, there were some positive outcomes of the study, such as showing that 66% of musicians say that playing boosts their mood and relaxes them, and half of all participants saying that they rely on their instruments to distract themselves from situations like injury, financial worry and work stress.
AMI explains that lost instruments are unfortunately an issue even for famous instrumentalists, such as Paul McCartney who famously had his Hofner Violin bass stolen in 1969 during the sessions for Get Back/Let it Be, and Eric Clapton who was also a victim in 1966 when his Gibson Les Paul was taken.
As a response to these findings, Allianz Musical Insurance has launched the Missing Instruments Finder, a website that allows musicians from across the UK – regardless of whether they are an AMI customer – to register lost, stolen and found instruments for free.
Users can simply upload advert with an image or description of the missing item, and will receive a notification if the instrument is found or there is any information. You can also list a found instrument.
If you would like to find a lost or stolen instrument, or want to find out more, you can visit MissingInstruments.co.uk.