Merle Cooper
Hanukkah starts on December 7, Christmas is on the 25th, and any other holidays you may be observing before 2023 comes to a close are probably kicking off soon, too. So, if you haven’t already gotten your holiday shopping done, time is running out. If you still have some music fans to buy for, we have you covered.
We’ve rounded up some of the best music-related gifts worth considering this year, and there’s a healthy mix of things that should appeal to just about everybody, whether they’re into audio, reading, hip-hop, rock, or whatever else. The items below come in at a range of price points, too, so no matter who you’re shopping for, get started by checking out the list below.
Powerbeats Pro Wireless High-Performance Earbuds
Beats
Price: $249.95
A quality pair of headphones can really let a song’s production and impact flourish, and Beats is one of the leading brands in the market. Their Powerbeats Pro earbuds are a solid pick, as they boast a 9-hour battery life, Siri functionality, and a bunch of other ease-of-use features.
Vibes High-Fidelity Earplugs
Vibes
Price: $33.99
Seeing a live performance is perhaps the best way to hear music, but it’s also one of the loudest and potentially most harmful ways. Hearing protection is important, and Vibes’ hi-fidelity earplugs lower sound without sacrificing quality, making them a must-use for the next show you attend.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame x EARPEACE
EARPEACE
Price: varies
Another hearing protection option worth looking into is EARPIECE’s collaboration with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. They have standard and pro options, and if you’re unsure which one to get, the EARPIECE website has a quick rundown that should help you decide which set is right for you.
TCL Q Class Premium 3.1 Channel Sound Bar
TCL
Price: $249.99
The rise of concert films of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé doesn’t just mean people going to the theater for a concert experience, it also means that soon, people could be experiencing them in their home. But, to optimize that, you need a good sound system for your television. You can’t go wrong with the TCL Q Class Premium 3.1 Channel Sound Bar, a simple two-piece setup that offers high-end home audio at an affordable price point.
Soundboks 4
Soundboks
Price: $999
Do you know somebody who’s trying to throw a party in the woods? A rave in a cave? Some other sort of gathering with music, far away from an outlet? That calls for Soundboks, a huge, portable, battery-powered speaker that lets you crank it up to 126 decibels. The specs are impressive: It can go for up to 40 hours on a single charge (6 hours at full volume), it has an effective frequency range of 40 Hz to 20 kHz, and it’s splash proof.
Dave Grohl — The Storyteller
HarperCollins
Price: $21.99
Between his time in Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and the many other endeavors he’s been involved in, Dave Grohl has seen some stuff, which means his memoir ought to be pretty darn interesting. If you want a taste of what to expect before committing to the buy, here’s an excerpt he shared previously, about the time he met Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Paul McCartney — The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present
Penguin
Price: $30
Speaking of McCartney: He put out a book of his own in 2021 and it would be a perfect gift for the Beatles fan in your life who has happened to have missed it. A new paperback edition was released recently and it comes with seven new song commentaries, on ’Bluebird,” “Day Tripper,” “English Tea,” “Every Night,” “Hello, Goodbye,” “Magical Mystery Tour,” and “Step Inside Love.”
Skullcandy x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Skullcandy
Price: $159.99
TMNT is back in the spotlight right now after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was one of this summer’s biggest movies. Now, they’ve teamed up with headphone favorites Skullcandy for a new wireless gaming headset that’s a striking “ooze” color and comes with interchangeable headbands.
Skullcandy Rail ANC True Wireless Earbuds
Skullcandy
Price: $99.99
Like Skullcandy but want it less turtle-y for some reason (or just prefer earbuds to a gaming headset)? The Rail ANC True Wireless Earbuds are worth a look: They boast a 38-hour battery life, they have 4-microphone active noise canceling, and if you forget where you put them, they even have Tile finding technology.
Blackpink x Funko Pop!
Funko
Price: varies
Shortly after Funko announced their new Blackpink collaboration in October, pre-orders sold out. A number of items, like group member keychains, are still available as of this post, though. They’re cheap, too, making them perfect stocking-stuffers for any Blinks on your gift list.
Blackpink x Loungefly
Funko
Price: varies
Not enough Blackpink for you? Well, their Funko collab goes deeper: The group teamed with Funko’s Loungefly brand for a line of gorgeous accessories. Specifically, there’s a backpack, crossbody bag, and zip wallet, all of which come in a matching black and pink color scheme that’s perfectly executed.
Meta Quest 2
Meta
Price: $249.99
We don’t really have to explain that Meta Quest 2 is one of the best ways to experience the world of VR entertainment. From a music perspective, though: Meta has the Music Valley Concert Series coming up, and the VR performance lineup includes The Kid Laroi, Jung Kook, Jorja Smith, and Alec Benjamin.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Ray-Ban
Price: varies
In addition to Ray-Ban being one of the most trusted glasses brands, they pack some impressive tech into their new smart glasses thanks to a Meta partnership. You can livestream with them, you can take pictures, and you can even listen to music thanks to the built-in “discreet open-ear speakers let you enjoy rich audio quality, music and calls, while keeping you connected to the world around you.”
Fender Play
Fender
Price: $19.99 per month or $149.99 per year
Getting into guitar can be tough, so if you know somebody on your shopping list is getting an axe of their own, a Fender Play subsciption could be a good complementary gift. The service offers guitar lessons to sharpen your skills, bite-size tutorials to learn songs in a flash, and a community where aspiring players can support each other.
Sonos Era 100
Sonos
Price: $249
A lot of high-end home audio setups can be bulky, but Sonos Era 100 sounds great and comes in a compact form factor. Aside from its minimal footprint and simple-but-elegant aesthetic, it should work with whatever you’re trying to play your music from, whether it’s a Bluetooth-compatible device or an older piece of hardware that can connect via line in.
DOOMSDAY 2023
Rhymesayers
Price: varies
Rhymesayers Entertainment and MF DOOM’s estate are commemorating the late rapper with a new DOOMSDAY drop. This capsule includes a bunch of limited merch items with a ton of variety, meaning there should be something for everybody. Options include embroidered hoodies, T-shirts, sweatpants, socks, slides with custom printed shoeboxes, skate decks, pins, and more.
Tyler The Creator Spotify Capsule Collection
Spotify
Price: varies
It doesn’t matter what your favorite Tyler The Creator album/era is: Spotify’s new merch capsule collection has you covered. You can browse the collection album-by-album and cover yourself head-to-toe in hoodies, socks, hats, and other pieces you can incorporate into your everyday look.
Ticketmaster Gift Card
Getty Image
Price: varies
You don’t even have to know what music your giftee is into for this present to work: A Ticketmaster gift card gives the gift of live music (or live sports of theater or anything, really) in all its forms. They’re flexible, too, as you can get a gift card in any amount from $25 to $500.
Billie Eilish Eau De Parfum
Eilish
Price: varies
Eilish has been building herself a nice perfume line for a little while now. She’s up to three different Eau de Parfum scents at the moment, including the recently released Eilish No. 3. That one’s actually sold out as of the writing of this post, but maybe it’ll be back in stock by the time you read this. If not, you can still grab the two previous award-winning scents right now.
Megan Thee Stallion Merch
Megan Thee Stallion
Price: varies
Megan Thee Stallion has become a pop culture favorite in recent years, and she has a killer merch line, too, featuring everything from shirts, to bikinis to pet collars. You don’t even have to be a Meg fan to get into her merch, really, as a lot of people could get down with a “Bad b*tches have bad days too!” hoodie.
Taylor Swift Merch
Taylor Swift
Price: varies
Taylor Swift is also a merch queen, and while vinyl might be the first thing you think of when it comes to her offerings, she has a bunch of different coals on the fire. We actually wrote a whole Swift-specific gift guide, so that’s a good place to start looking. Then there’s her online shop, which has everything from hoodies to pajamas to a clock.
Drake and Kendra Samir — Titles Ruin Everything
Price: $19.95
We put together a Drake gift guide, too, and one of the items worth highlighting here is Titles Ruin Everything, his and Kendra Samir’s poetry book. You’ve seen DJ Khaled reading it, and now you can, too.
Ice Spice Chia Pet
Chia
Price: $34.99
First there was the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink from Dunkin, and now Ice Spice is continuing her crusade of perfect branding opportunities with a new Chia Pet. Chia Pets are one of the all-time fun novelty gifts, and getting Ice Spice as the model for one is an absolutely perfect use of the format.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
