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Do I need downloads insurance? Watch out

The smallprint

Computer on fire

If your computer is damaged you could lose your music

While digital downloads are covered in the event of fire, flood, storm or theft, none of the insurance providers we surveyed offered cover for hardware or mechanical failure.

So if your computer is infected by a virus or your hard drive fails, you won't be able to claim. To combat this, ensure you have adequate firewall, anti-virus and spyware software installed and running (see our reviews of security software).

You're also not automatically covered if you take your laptop, MP3 player or mobile phone outside of your home so take out optional personal possessions cover as part of a contents policy to protect yourself.

Additionally, there are restrictions on how much you can claim. Some insurers put a limit of £1,000 or £2,000 on claims for digital downloads, while others lump it in with the overall amount for your contents policy.

20 out of the 22 companies offering digital insurance cover songs stored on your digital music player as well as music stored on your computer. The six that don't work on the assumption that you would have the same content on your PC.

Cover should extent to a range of digital content including purchased music, music videos, TV programmes, films, games, mobile phone ring tones, software and computer programmes when stored on a desktop PC, laptop, mobile phone or home entertainment system.

Proof of purchase

In the event that your music is stolen or damaged in a fire, flood or storm you'll need proof of purchase in order to make a claim. 'Insurers would want to be sure of the cost of the purchase and that you'd downloaded the songs from a legitimate download site,' says spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers, Malcolm Tarling.

Keep email receipts or invoices, bank/credit card statements or mobile phone statements. A good tip is to keep any email receipts in a webmail account so that you can access them from another computer via the internet in the event that yours is destroyed or stolen.

Don't panic if you can't find all your receipts. 'Most insurance companies will take a pragmatic approach. As with anything there’s a limit to how long you keep your receipts. Proof of purchase is a thorny issue,' says Tarling.

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