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It's that time of year again where we scramble for gifts to impress our music loving friends and family. Fortunately, we've been scouring the net to help give you a head start.
There are some people that are impossible to buy gifts for, but such a sentiment does not extend to music lovers, and quite frankly there's too many options to choose from out there. To save you wading through page after page of ideas, we've compiled a short list of affordable gifts - plus a couple of ridiculously expensive ones for fun - that you make for the perfect pressie.
Once again, we have made a concerted effort to share present options provided by independents, So get browsing, grab a lovely gift for that special someone and support an independent business while you're at it!
1. My Daddy has 100 Synths
£26.30 (incl. P&P)
Dubbed as the world's first fully illustrated children's book about synthesisers, "My Daddy has 100 Synths" is a wonderful creation by Billy Cardigan and is the perfect passive aggressive gift for someone whose collection is getting out of hand.
It ships from America, hence the high price and potentially lengthy delivery time, so order soon if you want to gift it this Christmas.
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2. Waveform Print
From £12.50 (not incl. P&P)
You may not look at your DAW or synthesiser's waveform selector and feel moved, but this print certainly turns those everyday symbols into something bold and affecting.
3. Joy Division Oven Gloves
£19.95 (incl. P&P)
Novelty oven gloves are part and parcel of the festive season, and this particular pair is not only an excellent gift, but also extremely functional. Though expensive for oven gloves, the reviews are positive about their performance as well as design.
4. Paint by Stickers: Music Icons
£11.99 (not incl. P&P)
Got a friend who's keen with crafts but terrible at colouring in the lines? This'll keep them busy…
5. 'Recording' Light Box
From £35 (not incl. P&P)
Complete the home studio with this excellent light box. There's a range of variant styles to choose from and each is designed to fit on a desk so won't take up too much space.
6. Vinyl LP Coasters & Holder
From £24.19 (not incl. P&P)
These feel as old as time itself when it comes to gift giving, but we're big fans of the additional record player themed holder for the coasters.
It's a little on the pricey side, but could make the perfect gift for the vinyl lover in your life.
7. Soundwave + Lyrics Print
From £18 (not incl. P&P)
This is one of our favourites from the list this year, mainly for how much it can be personalised. The foil work on this really makes it pop and if your budget allows for it, you can also order a frame to come with it. Sizes range from A4 to A1.
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8. DJ Patent Prints
From £9.00 (not incl. P&P)
Can you tell that we're big on prints this year?
This one's tailored a little more towards the DJ/producer in your life that gets a real kick from minimalist design and no small amount of technical detail.
9. Soundiculous
£12.99 (not incl. P&P)
An excellent gift for a sound designer - or just someone who likes to make silly noises - Soundiculous is a party game that will test your vocal performance and deciphering skills.
10. Harmonix DropMix
From £39.99 (incl. P&P)
Harmonix DropMix is a music mixing card game, which was released in 2017 and has since become a cult classic. Players can place physical cards representing famous songs on the board, which are then key and tempo-matched automatically to create new mash-ups.
11. Headspace Subscription
From £3.75 p/mo or £26.27 for the year
If there's one thing we certain of, it's that we could all be doing better to take care of our mental health. While there are many ways to improve your wellbeing, Headspace has been an excellent way for people to set aside some self care time. It's 60% off at the time of writing too!
12. Make-up bag for tools
£12.87 (not incl. P&P)
This is an excellent suggestion from our Live Sound tutor Fiona Riches and is the perfect addition for any sound engineer looking to store and transport their essential tools for an upcoming live show.
13. Fluorescent Console Tape
£3.49 (not incl. P&P)
Invaluable for recording, mixing and live sound engineers, this tape can be written on, shows up under UV/black light and has a peel clean adhesive.
Expensive gift ideas
Usually, we'd keep this list to a certain price range but this year we've seen a couple of gifts that we wanted to give an honourable mention - especially for those of you who are feeling generous.
14. Kid A MNESIA Teapot + Saucer set
£185 (not incl. P&P)
With the re-release of Radiohead's seminal albums 'Kid A' and 'Amnesia', there's been a groundswell of merchandise to accompany it, and this has to be our favourite.
15. Synthesiser Pioneers Calendar
£40 (incl. P&P)
While this gift is around the same price as some on our main list, I think we can all agree that £40 for a calendar is pretty steep - that's mainly due to it being shipped from the US. However, it's an 18-month calendar and decked out with synthesiser royalty and we can think of plenty of people who wouldn't balk at the cost.
Not seeing the perfect gift in this year's list? Why not take a look at our selection of affordable gifts from last year.
