Holiday Guide: Buying gifts for the music geek

By Jared Field

Western Herald

The weather is getting colder and soon snow will layer the ground and trees with white fluff. The end of Thanksgiving has jumpstarted the seemingly endless trend of Christmas music as “Black Friday” has mentally put the season in full swing. 

But, in the weeks leading up to December 25, it’s not sleigh bells and Christmas tunes clouding the every thought of the average music lover. So when looking for that perfect gift that will make the eyes pop of the musical loved one, here are a few ideas.

Thanks to today’s technology, appreciation of good sound, and hoarders of the middle 20th century, vinyl recordings are becoming realized as a luxury of sound quality and the ultimate listening experience. When looking for a gift for a cousin or a friend, any vinyl record will be sufficient, and in the decently low price range of $15-$40, depending on the band and historical influence of the album. But make sure the recipient has a record player, because there’s nothing worse than having a vinyl that can’t be listened to. 

When looking to spend a little more, maybe for a closer relative, a record player is always a great investment. Most today are capable of being played through Dolby Digital surround or any other home audio speakers. There are a couple great turntables for $200 price limits. Sony and Newmark both make USB turntables. Sony’s for $160 and Newmark’s for $170. 

Unfortunately for the festival junkie, Bonnarroo is the festival currently selling tickets. It has been rumored that the tickets can be paid for in $50 installments, but on the festival’s Web site it is states that tickets can be purchased in November for $209.50 and prices will rise as the festival draws closer. At this point, Bonnarroo does not have a line-up but rumors are being spread that Dave Matthews Band, Wilco, Phish and Widespead Panic will be returning for 2010. 

The good news is, Rothbury, Lalapolooza, 10,000 lakes and Cochella will also be back in full operation in 2010. A great gift idea for a festival go-er would be a festival survival pack. Buy a decent backpack and fill it with bandanas, wife-beater tank tops, cargo shorts, a water bottle and hemp jewelry. If the person doesn’t have a digital camera, it might be nice to throw in a couple disposal cameras and a notebook for memories of the trip. Activities can also be added to the survival kit. Frisbees and hacky sacks are great for killing time in between bands. A gas card might come in handy as well considering most festivals require quite a hike. The “festival survival kit” will range in price anywhere from $50-$200 depending on the depth of material added.

True music lovers are often people who greatly enjoy their freedom of expression. Clothes are always an awesome gift idea for such a particular way of living. But, when looking to be different, there are many other options.

Allposters.com is an amazing, cheap dealer of music posters and wall tapestries. They always have ways of saving money with coupon codes and percent-off deals. Posters will range in price from $2.99 to $300 depending on size, framing and whether or not buyers want the art print version (which means its on nicer paper) or not. Wall tapestries are great for music lovers and can be bought in your neighborhood head shops, and college oriented stores.

 Rolling Stone has become one of today’s most profound music magazines and a subscription would make an excellent gift. From music related reviews and stories, to politics, movies and world news, Rolling Stone offers a wide scope of coverage. 

These are just a few ideas to help out the struggling shopper entering the music world can be expressed. More information can be found in record shops, retailers and through someone who knows their music. Rock on and happy holidays.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Dec 3 2009. Filed under Campus, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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