Ten Gifts for the Music Junkie in Your Life

Christmas Day is drawing near and most of us are online shopping or actually in line (like I am right now) to find the perfect gifts for those special people in our lives.  Unfortunately, we often find ourselves in the position of not knowing what to get.  As a music junkie myself, I would like to save you and your music lover the time required to look for or trade in your gift, respectively.  If you are looking for the perfect gift for a music enthusiast or even for yourself, here are ten awesome gift ideas to help.

1. Music Subscription Service

One of the best gifts that you can get for a music admirer is the ability access to more music.  Music subscription services give you access to tons of music that you can stream or download for offline use on your phone or other devices.  Instead of having to purchase individual albums or singles, you can pay one monthly fee and get it all.  You can purchase digital gift cards or service for Tidal, Spotify Premium, Apple Music, and Amazon Music as well as others.  If your music lover is currently using a music subscription service, you gift may be used to pay towards the subscription balance.

2. Bluetooth Headphones

Another popular and easy gift to give is a Bluetooth headphone set because it is great for travelers, students, fitness junkies, or anyone on the go. Most are available in different styles like in-ear, on-ear, over-the-ear or behind the neck and have many different features for optimal use like sound-isolating technology, water resistance, and wireless charging.  The best part about this gift is that there are tons of options from the high and low end that forces stores to be competitive.  Now is the best time to go for quality brands like Sony, Bose, Beats by Dre, JBL, and Apple.

3. Portable Bluetooth Speakers

Giving someone a portable Bluetooth speaker is like giving someone an instant party.  You can connect to the Bluetooth speaker wirelessly and play music wherever you are.  This gift is great if you’re at work, at the beach, or in the park.  Some versions are even waterproof or water-resistant and ready for the pool.  With advances in technology, you can get great sound from many different brands that are in on the action just like; it is with Bluetooth headphones.

4. Stereo or Home Theater System

Every music junkie HAS to have the perfect sound system for the temple in which he/she resides.  With the home stereo or theater system, you can produce just the right sounds to fill up your space (assuming you don’t have a noise ordinance or annoying neighbors).  Typically, this gift is a little bit of an investment; you want to make sure you are getting a quality product that produces the best sound.  It also does double duty as well; it’s great for the home movie-watching experience or if you watch music videos in HD, like I do.

5. Smart Home Device

Smart home devices have been picking up steam in the past few years as technology advances because they double as speakers and personal assistants.  You can connect them to all kinds of other devices in your home, like your TV, lights, AC units, etc.  But for the music buff, the ability to instantly say “Play Beyoncé” (or someone else) is just everything you could wish for.  You can often buy multiple units for different rooms that sync together. They work great in combination with a music subscription service.  Some of the most popular are Apple Homepod, Google Home devices, and Amazon Echo Devices.

6. Fan Merch

Another great gift is merch from your loved one’s favorite music artist or music-related items.  Who wouldn’t want to get the sweatshirt that Beyoncé wore at Coachella?  Seriously, most music fanatics are typically stans of some artist or genre and you can get anything from t-shirts, bags, coffee mugs, posters, books, and even ashtrays.

7. Music Experiences

The ultimate gift for a music lover is the once-in-a-lifetime experience of a live show.  You can easily go on to Ticketmaster or any other ticket site and find tickets to a concert or musical that your loved one will enjoy.  Of course, it helps if you know what he or she is interested in, but otherwise, tickets for a show are often a worthwhile experience that we never forget. While you are ordering tickets, you’ll have an opportunity to pick up more merch.

8. Record Players and Vinyl

If your loved one is nostalgic like me, he/she will love the textured sound and warm feel of vinyl albums.  Record players have made a resurgence in the past few years, and most major artists release albums on vinyl.  This is kind of a niche gift, and it takes the right person who is interested.

9. Creative Music Gifts

Find ways to be creative with your gifting for the music lover in your life.  You can use sites like Pinterest to find creative ways to repurpose old compact discs or cassette tapes, and make them into one-of-a-kind gifts.  Also be on the lookout for music-themed gifts like picture frames, coffee mugs, books, art, etc.  If you are really feeling edgy, pay for a music tattoo!

10. Music Instruments

Last but not least, you can buy a musical instrument, turntables, or even pay for music lessons for voice, piano, guitar, and any other musical instrument you can think of.  You may help to jumpstart the career of the next John Legend or Jimi Hendrix.  This gift would be perfect for the young music enthusiast and any adult that wants to pick up a hobby or find an outlet.

Hopefully, you have seen something on this list that your favorite music fan will enjoy.  If all else fails, you can always buy a gift card.  We will figure out a way to trade it in to get something that we really want.

Don’t forget to check out Dope Aural: Holiday Edition for my holiday music recommendations.

Trey Payadue is a contributing blogger and curator of music for The Black Unicorn Project. He was raised on the west bank of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area in the small town of Marrero, Louisiana. Brought up in the Black Catholic church, Trey was completely immersed in New Orleans music and Black culture through local fairs and famous celebrations like Mardi Gras, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Essence Fest. He was also exposed to various styles of music, such as gospel, pop, rock, funk, hip-hop, bounce and his first love, rhythm & blues, at a young age. His inherent love and appreciation, paired with his exposure to New Orleans Culture and events, ignited an infectious passion for music. Trey quickly became known as “The Music Man”, amateur house party DJ and the mixtape go-to guy for new music. Currently, Trey juggles a 9-5 while moonlighting as a curator of good music, a patron of popular music and Black culture, and a student of where all three intersect. Follow him on Instagram & Twitter @SumthinSevere and get access to shared playlists on Spotify.

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