Top Twelve Gift Ideas For Music Lovers
Music lovers can be a hard bunch to shop for, and with the holidays being as hectic as they are, we here at BeatCrave thought we’d make things easier for you with our list of twelve items sure to tickle any music lover’s fancy. We’ve got things for the cost-conscious and the spendthrifts alike, so take a look before you waste an hour and a half rifling through mall shops and only come away with a previously-owned “Hannah Montana” CD.
12. iTunes Gift Cards
Practical and affordable. If you know they’re a music fan, but have no idea what kind of music they’re into, an iTunes gift card solves all your gift-giving worries. And look at those snazzy designs!
- Price: $15.00 – $100.00
11. iPods (and iPod accessories)
Because everyone either has one or wants one. And with Apple unveiling their most extensive line of iPods earlier this year, you have plenty of options to work with. Affordable iPod shuffles for the casual listeners, eye-popping iPod nanos for the hipsters, 120 GB iPod classics for the power users, or iPod touches for the gadget heads. And for those who already have iPods, there are accessories galore. From cases to noise-canceling earbuds, mixers to speakers, there’s something out there for any iPod owner.
- Price: $49.00 – $399.00
10. “I Listen To Bands That Don’t Even Exist Yet” T-Shirt
For that one friend (or more) we all have who is a total music snob. Let’s be honest, they’d probably get a kick out of this, too.
- Price: $15.00
9. iRacer Surround-Sound Chair
When a simple speaker next to your sofa isn’t enough, a surround-sound sofa chair is what you need. Questions of excess aside, this actually looks like a pretty sweet gift. We all need somewhere to relax while we’re listening to our music, so why not a custom chair with 4 speakers and a 30-watt subwoofer? Hooks up to MP3 players, game consoles, and more.
- Price: $399.00
8. Music Posters
Part of the music-loving experience is slathering your wall with all sorts of posters and musician paraphernalia. Check out allposters.com for a huge variety of posters, framed and non-framed, classic and contemporary. Or for the really hardcore fans out there, check out this holiday must-have: life-sized Jonas Brothers wall decals. I know, I can’t stop drooling either.
- Price: $6.99 and up
7. Ticket Stub Diary
Because I’m either a pack-rat or overly-sentimental or something inbetween. I love old concert stubs. Sometimes it’s because a concert held special meaning for me, sometimes it’s because I just want to look back 20 years down the line and be able to say, “Yup, I caught [enter band name here] live before [enter band member here] [enter tragic fate/career-ending drug addiction/sex change here] happened.”
- Price: $12.00
6. Beats by Dr. Dre In-Ear Headphones by Monster
Our friends over at GearCrave highlighted this item a little while ago, and with good reason. When one of the world’s premiere music producers (and an infamous perfectionist) endorses audio equipment, you should probably pay attention. The Beats by Dr. Dre In-Ear Headphones are sleek in design and come with all of the quality manufacturing we’ve come to expect from Monster. Audiophiles won’t be the only ones putting these down on their wish lists this year.
- Price: $149.95
5. Books on Music
Nothing quite captures the imaginations of fans like the whispered stories and well-documented anecdotes that trickle out from the lives of musicians. For die-hard fans with a literary bent, musician biographies make a perfect gift. From The Beatles to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Clapton to Cobain, Amazon has an extensive list to find something for any taste.
- Price: ~$10.00 and up
4. Sufjan Stevens’ “Songs For Christmas” Box Set
42 songs across 5 CDs for $14.99 total? Sign me up! I know what you’re thinking–Christmas song collections are notoriosuly lame. But Sufjan Stevens navigates the tricky and easily-terrible holiday music scene with this collection of 5 EPs that he started recording annually back in 2001 as a gift for his friends and family. Completely aware of pop stars putting out over-produced holiday dribble, Stevens opted to break the mold with low-key and beautifully arranged renditions of holiday favorites to go with his own holiday-themed tunes. The box set also comes with an assortment of goodies including chord charts, lyrics, and a 42-page booklet with original Christmas essays and stories. It’s a great gift for any indie rock fan.
- Price: $14.99
3. iLuv iNT170 WiFi Enabled Internet Radio Clock
Music is available from a plethora of sources these days, so why not consolidate your listening experience? The iLuv iNT170 lets you do just that, not only serving as a FM radio, but also connecting to your network either wirelessly or with an ethernet cable to stream music from the Internet. Wake up to your favorite online music sites like Pandora or Slacker, or hook up other audio devices through an auxiliary 3.5mm jack input. The elegantly functional design will be a good fit anywhere in the house.
- Price: $199.99
2. NuMark TTi USB Turntable (with LP-to-MP3 Converter)
Gadgets and technology are revolutionizing the music-listening experience. For the oldschool collectors who haven’t gone digital yet–now is the time. And this way you can future-proof your music collection without having to spend thousands of dollars repurchasing it again on CD or through iTunes. The fact that it doubles as a working record player while allowing you to rip songs from vinyl onto your iPod or a computer instantly makes this slick turntable from NuMark a worthwhile buy.
- Price: $449.00 MSRP, $249.00 from Amazon & other online retailers
1. 35 Year Collection of Top 100 45 RPM Records
Love your vinyl? And I mean, REALLY love your vinyl? Neiman Marcus has an amazing collection for sale this holiday season. Included is EVERY SINGLE 45 RPM vinyl record that was listed on the Billboard Top 100 Rock and Pop charts from 1955 to 1990. There are some 18,400 records in total, and a number of them even come autographed. The Beatles, Elvis, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix are all represented in the collection. Tthe price tag? A cool $275,000. For those with deep pockets and someone they SERIOUSLY want to impress.
- Price: $275,000.00
