Protecting Musicians' Instruments: The Challenges of Traveling with Valuable Gear
Musicians rely on their instruments for their livelihood, making the theft or mishandling of these valuable items a serious offense. Instruments hold not only financial but also sentimental value, often being heirlooms or historically significant in genres like country, roots, acoustic, or orchestral music. Proper care during travel is crucial to protect these instruments.
Traveling musicians face a myriad of challenges with varying rules and regulations across airlines and airports. They prefer to carry their instruments on board or check them in hard shell cases to prevent loss or damage. However, incidents like a viral video showing guitars being carelessly tossed by a baggage handler at LAX highlight the risks musicians face when entrusting their instruments to airlines.
Stories of shattered instruments or missing guitars at baggage claim are all too common among musicians. Stella Prince, a 21-year-old folk artist, experienced the loss of her guitar during a flight from Woodstock, NY to Atlanta. Despite checking her guitar in a travel case, it went missing upon arrival, leaving her without her instrument for an upcoming show.
Delta Airlines, the carrier in Stella's case, has yet to locate her missing guitar, adding to the frustration and uncertainty for independent artists like her. The lack of accountability and transparency from airlines in handling musicians' instruments raises concerns about the need for a more regulated and consistent policy to ensure the safe transport of these essential tools.
The incidents of mishandling and theft of musical instruments during air travel underscore the importance of protecting musicians' livelihoods and cherished possessions. Airlines must take responsibility for the safe handling of instruments and implement measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. Musicians deserve peace of mind knowing that their instruments are in good hands during their travels.