Best Gifts for Music Lovers in 2023

This hardback book will complete your giftee’s coffee table, with more than 500 pages of legendary record album art dating back to the 60s to the 90s. This is one chunky encyclopaedia that’s sure to start a conversation at your next gathering. All there is left to do is to pour the drinks.

Forget about endlessly fumbling along with Smoke on the Water, Nothing Else Matters and Smells like Teen Spirit before calling it a day – this platform is a one-stop shop for learning how to play guitar, bass and ukulele. It includes thousands of how-to videos, so your giftee will be riffing to the classics in no time.

The best headphones demand the utmost care when it comes to storage. We are fans of this oak-made stand, which has a solid steel handle and wooden base that we reckon is also ideal for keeping your earbuds or keys, too.

Starting at £40 for 50 picks (one-sided), you can choose the pick material, colour and then upload either artwork or text to have on the side of the guitar plectrums.

We think every good home sound system should include a quality CD player. Audiophiles still adore “CD-quality” formats for a reason. This is a player you’ll want on show – it also comes with a built-in alarm clock and digital radio.

Every songwriter or musician needs a quality journal. This A4 notebook from Aspinal of London looks the part, and can be personalised with your giftee’s name. It’s made using a full-grain leather and you can choose between blank or lined paper.

One of our top music streaming services for hi-res audio is Qobuz, especially for enthusiasts as the focus is on complete albums and features editorial articles, too. This has more than 100 million songs in hi-res (that is one step above CD quality), and lets you buy gift cards with a personalised message.

This Sonos smart speaker sounds fantastic at all volumes and is an ideal starting point for creating a multi-room setup. It pairs to wifi and is controlled by an app or voice commands, plus it looks stylish on display.

An LP collection needs to be kept safe and easily accessible at all times – so this vintage-inspired storage shelf is a great gift for collectors and hobbyists alike. It has room on the top for your turntable and a rack underneath that holds more than a dozen of the most-played records, keeping them in easy reach.

Inspired by the guitar amps used by music legends from AC/DC to Jimi Hendrix, this water-resistant speaker is as loud and well-built as its heritage suggests. There’s bass and treble customisation on the device, and it has an optional strap that adds some extra portability (although it does weigh almost 2kg).

Peruse a collection of rediscovered photos from one of the world’s most famous musicians, with almost a thousand snaps taken by Paul McCartney dating back to the early-to-mid 60s providing a glimpse of Beatlemania from the inside.

There are loads of headphones to choose from these days, but few ooze quality and style quite like the MW75s. With an aluminium construction and a design that relies heavily on leather and memory foam, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were just a fashion statement. Not so: they sound sublime, too.

There’s no need for a huge guitar amplifier when practising at home, and this 12W Orange model – a brand used by Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder and ZZ Top – has everything a player needs. There are controls for gain, overdrive, bass, middle, treble, volume – plus the user can slot in a pair of headphones to perfect their riffs without annoying everyone else at home.