14 Gifts for Music Lovers That Will Strike a Chord

Victrola is one of oldest names in the recording game, and they’re still leagues above other companies in their stylish, vintage-inspired products. One ingenious item you can grab just in time for the holidays is their record storage carrying case. A beautiful carrying case like this solves every vinyl fan’s nightmare — lugging their precious albums to and from location. It’s a great gift you can get for that loved one with a massive record collection.

There are so many shades of music lovers out there. Some, like me, love investigating music’s cultural impact as much as we love listening to it. If you’ve got a pal like that, you’ve got get them Sasha Geffen’s book Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary. This unique exploration uses biography, history, culture, and theory to weave a tapestry of gender nonconformity in and around music. I wouldn’t be surprised if Geffen’s book becomes a seminal text on gender and musicology studies in the future, so there’s no time to waste getting in on the eye-opening action.

A music lover on the go always makes room for a portable speaker, and you can upgrade your loved one’s tech with Bose’s SoundLink portable speaker. You absolutely can’t beat Bose’s sound quality. Back in my university days, you could outperform an entire house of partying college weekenders with this bad boy. Petite, waterproof, and completely wireless, this is the perfect gift for those social butterfly music lovers.

Analog has been on the up and up, thanks in large part to a shift towards thrifting and sustainability and away from expensive digital products. Depending on where you go, you can pick up a box full of classic cassette tapes for $10 or under. If you know a loved one who’s been hoarding cassettes since 1983, then you should add Reshow’s USB Cassette Capture device to your gift list. This unique device converts tape cassettes into MP3s to preserve all those old tapes from your college band’s heyday. Help your loved ones protect their precious cassette collection with this innovative gift.

Whether you like to crank up your music while deep cleaning the house or you’re practicing for your band’s next performance, you always run the risk of jammin’ a bit too loud for your neighbors' liking. Bless your musically inclined loved ones with these ultra-quiet ATS Acoustics Panels. You can get these soundproofing panels in four shades: black, burgundy, ivory, and natural. They’ve got a noise reduction coefficient (nrc) of 1.0 out of 1, making it one of the quietest options on the market. Gift your loved ones the freedom to rock out to their hearts’ content.

You can only make it to so many concerts and festivals in 365 days. Fill up those empty weekends and nights with a round of Queen Monopoly. It’s the classic property game we all love but with a distinct rock ‘n' roll twist. For example, you can play as Queen-ified tokens like the iconic vacuum from the “I Want to Break Free” music video or Frank the Robot from the News of the World album cover. If you’ve got a massive Queen fan in your life like me, then this board game should rise to the top of your gift list. Just be ready to spend 30 minutes or more unboxing this bad boy as your loved one oohs and ahhs over the subtle nods to the band.

Bring the rave to your bedroom with a pack of LED strip lights. With over 68,00 reviews on Amazon, you can’t beat Tenmiro’s 50ft two-strip pack. Listening is only half of the experience when you’re playing music. The atmosphere is that vital second piece. Bring synesthesia to life by syncing these color-changing lights to your favorite playlist.

Every amateur recording artist starts somewhere, and you can marry style with great sound quality in AKG’s Lyra condenser microphone. Inspired by vintage studio microphones, this USB-C mic captures delicious vocals in a snap. I snatched up a Lyra mic a few years ago, and it’s been the perfect desktop addition to my sound set-up. Who needs a traditional mic with its tangle-inducing cords when you can have a (practically) plug-and-play substitute? Stand out from the Shure mic crowd with the petite but powerful Lyra.

These upcycled record coasters from Uncommon Goods are a sustainable living must-have. Unlike the dozens of reproduction coasters you can find in kitschy boutiques, these have been cut down and shaped from repurposed vinyl records. These waterproof coasters are the closest to defiling a real record with a cool highball glass you'll ever get.

People often talk about the many departments it takes to make a movie, but you don’t hear people talking about how many different people it takes to make an album. From sound mixers to studio musicians, there are so many parts of music production and the listening experience that we often forget about. There’s no better way to highlight the underappreciated preferred way of listening to music (the glorious turntable) than with Gideon Schwartz’s Revolution: History of Turntable Design. Embrace the vinyl revival with this highly illustrated coffee table book. If you loved Hi-Fi: The History of High-End Audio Design, then this follow-up is a natural next stop.

Some of the best gifts are the ones you can pull out of the box and immediately use. I mean, there’s a reason we grow to love practical gifts like socks, grocery store gift cards, and fancy olive oils as adults. One super useful and stylish gift is this headstock wall hanger trio. Designed to look like three different guitar headstock styles, these hooks can hold up to 22 pounds, which is enough to toss your favorite band hoodie or knapsack full of sheet music on.

Force your MTV Generation besties to relive their music’s glory years with Big Potato’s MTV Throwback Music Party Game. Put everyone’s knowledge of 80s, 90s, and 00s hits to the test. As a consummate trivia lover, I picked up this game and challenged my MTV Gen mother to a battle. It was super easy to learn, and it had a great assortment of categories and genres. And if you’re like us and sometimes prefer to forgo the board game instructions and just cycle through the trivia questions, this game slays in that way too!

If you’re looking to splurge on your loved one this gifting season, look no further than Uncommon Goods’ customizable turntable serving platter. Take your charcuterie board game up a notch with this beautiful but subtle music-inspired gift. At $150, it’s on the pricier end, but it’s well worth the high handmade quality and four customizable features. The best part? The vinyl actually spins. Take that boring old lazy susans!

More is more when it comes to themed décor, and Keepcute’s 3’ vinyl record rug is perfect for replicating that swinging sixties pop art style. It’s just the right size for bedrooms, small dorm rooms, and studio apartments. This non-slip mat packs a punch as a birthday or holiday gift. Shag rugs might be impractical and Persian rugs way out of your budget, but this bold statement piece should tick all your boxes.