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Gifts for Music Lovers
Photograph: Shutterstock

Unique music gifts for the music lover in your life

We’ve got the scoop on this year’s best gifts for music lovers including gadgets, collectibles and instruments

Written by
Ro Samarth
,
Andrew Frisicano
&
Collier Sutter
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Regardless of the season, New York offers endless gifts for music lovers: While we can't snag tickets to great NYC concerts right now, the city boasts the best music stores and best record stores to keep any audiophile toe-tapping. Around the holidays, sorting through gift options for the music aficionado on your list can be a pretty daunting task. Fortunately, we've saved you some time by collecting our favorite music-related present ideas—from the best portable-speaker bargains to the coolest new box sets.

RECOMMENDED: The full holiday gift guide 2020

Best gifts for music lovers

Twin Peaks Music from the Limited Event Series

1. Twin Peaks Music from the Limited Event Series

David Lynch has always put careful thought into music selection, and the original Twin Peaksfilled with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise's ethereal ballads—may be his most demonstrative work yet. The recent season of Twin Peaks: The Return takes just as much care in its musical accompaniment, featuring a performance by a different band at the close of every episode. The Chromatics, Sharon Van Etten, Nine Inch Nails, Cruise and more all visit the Roadhouse. Fortunately for us, the whole season’s playlist is compiled here. $9 at Amazon

Roland R-07

2. Roland R-07

If you've ever tried to record a rockin' band practice on your iPhone, you know that it's a far from ideal setup. The excessive volume instantly sends your phone into the red, making the resulting audio extremely distorted. This pocket-sized recorder remedies the issue with a button that takes a quick sample your loudest playing and sets the input accordingly. That and other uses—recording interviews, grabbing song ideas, capturing the clacking of the J train for your next sonic collage—make this an ideal companion for quick, mobile recording. $199 at Amazon

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Beastie Boys Book

3. Beastie Boys Book

Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz (that's Mike D and ADROCK to you) present the story of the Beastie Boys—the prankster punk band that somehow became rap royalty—in this essential tome that's more stuffed scrapbook than straight memoir. $28 at Amazon

Mosh Potatoes: Recipes, Anecdotes, and Mayhem from the Heavyweights of Heavy Metal

4. Mosh Potatoes: Recipes, Anecdotes, and Mayhem from the Heavyweights of Heavy Metal

This book is exactly as its title implies: 147 recipes from a slew of heavy music giants, including Guns N' Roses, Anthrax, Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Megadeth and many more, alongside tour and studio anecdotes. Why? Who knows, but we're sure someone at your local Hard Rock Cafe is dying to have one. $10 at Amazon

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Vibes Ear Plugs
Photograph: Courtesy Vibes Ear Plugs

5. Vibes Ear Plugs

Give the gift that keeps on giving: hearing loss prevention! These 3D-printed ear plugs are designed with concertgoers in mind. Special acoustic filters within the plastic frame lower volume equally across different frequencies, so that the earplugs don't muffle sound like their foam brethren. Best of all, they won't break your bank like custom-fitted plugs, which can cost hundreds. $24 at amazon.com

Moleskine Music Notebook

6. Moleskine Music Notebook

Help your friends jot down their newest song ideas before they're lost to the sands of time. This compact notebook has eight staves of musical notation per page plus a built-in pocket and a convenient wrap-around elastic band. $16 at Amazon

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Cube Otamatone Deluxe

7. Cube Otamatone Deluxe

This adorable instrument is beloved for the combination of its cuteness factor and the extremely bizarre, unpleasent sounds it makes. Just squeeze its cheeks and let the squaky instrument do the rest. $58 at Amazon

Vinyl Me, Please Subscription
Photograph: Courtesy Vinyl Me Please

8. Vinyl Me, Please Subscription

Think record clubs are a thing of the past? Think again! Sign a friend up for this subscription service and they’ll receive one carefully curated “must have” album each month, paired with goodies like a complementary art print and custom cocktail recipe. It’s a project intended to help listeners reconnect with physical media and build deeper connections with their music. $29/per month at vinylmeplease.com

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Minor II Bluetooth Headphones
Photograph: Courtesy Heartland Foto

9. Minor II Bluetooth Headphones

On a mission to find the perfect pair of headphones for the diehard music listener in your life? That process can feel a lot like a Goldilocks complex. Luckily, Marshall released a pair of earbuds that fit just right (and are adjustable), sound effing great and are easy to stow in your pocket or bag. With up to 12 hours of playtime and Bluetooth 5.0 APTX connectivity, which allows you to move with 30-feet of wireless listening range, it's obvious that your search ends here. $129, marshallheadphones.com

Moog EWSTD019 Etherwave Theremin
Photograph: Courtesy of Moog Music

10. Moog EWSTD019 Etherwave Theremin

The staple instrument of the retro-future, you'll best know the sound of these antenna-ed wooden boxes as signaling the appearance of aliens, robots and other spooky creatures in sci-fi film and TV. Just like for audiences in the ‘50s, this contemporary Moog remake of the device allows modern music lovers to wildly flap their hands through the air to make eery whistling sounds. It's The Day the Earth Stood Still all over again. $389 at Amazon

Want to do something besides shop this holiday season?

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