If the thought of gifting another faux leather-wrapped manicure set, some novelty desk decor, or monogrammed wine bottle stopper has you singing the holiday gift blues, then I have a present for you. 

All you have to do is unwrap the few hundred words below to discover the next memorable gift that will be music to someone’s ears and make you the star of the season.

Maybe you want to give music? Perhaps some unique music memorabilia? Want to seize the new trend in experiential gift-giving and land some tickets to an upcoming show? The possibilities are endless, and can almost all be found locally as you support area musicians, venues, and record stores.

Who doesn’t love a local record store? Bin after bin of vinyl – new and used – brings joy to the most ambitious treasure seekers, and when you find just the right album for a loved one it’s all the more special. 

My daughter Marissa and I love record store hopping, and we’ve been all over checking out local shops. There is the quintessential Texas record store in Antone’s on Guadalupe and Big Henry’s at the entrance to the world-famous nightclub.

If you want a wide selection of vinyl and related gifts, then Waterloo downtown or Piranha in Round Rock if you’re up north.

Two of my favorites are north of downtown. Breakaway offers a huge selection of deeply discounted resale records and a wide variety of used turntables and stereo equipment to daydream about. Love Wheel is a small shop, but has great charm, a fantastic selection and friendly staff. It’s also two doors down from Lala’s Little Nugget, which celebrates the season year round to keep you in a festive mood.

One of Austin’s newest vinyl vendors is Sunshine Vinyl. I had a great conversation about new music and old favorites while I was there and there’s not much better than finding someone who likes to talk music as much as sell it. Sunshine also does something I really love, organizing records by year rather than artist. There’s something really cool about thumbing through the selection from 1974 or 1987 for a trip down memory lane.

Nearby on the east side is BLK Vinyl and Drinks Records, making a nice little trip to the area well worth it.

Maybe a good book is the right gift for your music-loving reader friends. I’ve read a number of good music books this year, including Bob Spitz’s “Led Zeppelin” biography from 2021, a great thorough telling of the story of rock and roll’s most iconic band. Two titles published this year, “Under a Rock” by Blondie’s Chris Stein, and Alex Van Halen’s story of his life with brother Eddie Van Halen – “Brothers” – were both excellent reads and would make memorable gifts.

If you’re trying to gift a memorable experience, concert tickets can be the shared experience of a lifetime, and of course Austin has so many options. There are 20-plus local shows in the first three months of 2025, from the big-ticket options like Rod Stewart, Chicago, and Justin Timberlake, to nostalgic favorites like the Temptations, Howard Jones, Blue Oyster Cult, and Three Dog Night. 

Local shows don’t have to be the iconic names everyone knows to be special. Catch Jackie Venson in January or Chief Cleopatra in February at Antone’s. Both put on great shows and will one day be those household names you’ll want to say you saw way back when. Then there’s Magic City Hippies, who always put on a groove-laden show, at Stubb’s in March.

Gifts can also be special for what they represent as much as for what they are. Some gear from Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) might be the right choice. Give a great gift, help a great cause, it’s that simple. They’ve got everything from merchandise to memberships and is a great organization to contribute to.

While I love the idea of shopping local for music gifts, there is one really cool option I can’t possibly leave off this list, and it’s a subscription to Vinyl Moon. Imagine getting a specially curated mixtape in record form each month, with beautifully decorated vinyl, unique art on the jacket and the story of how it all came together. It is definitely one of the most original music gifts out there today, and a club membership means holiday cheer every month all year.