Gift Guide: what to give someone who loves records

Music gifts go wrong when they reflect the giver's taste rather than the listener's. This guide sorts the choice by the recipient's situation, then names the factors that matter most, in order.

Start with who is receiving it

Most gift ideas for music fall into one of three situations: the recipient already owns a turntable, wants to start lessons, or is only curious. Each situation points to a different kind of present, and a gift that suits one can be wasted on another.

So the first question concerns the person, not the item. A record that delights a collector with a turntable may sit unused by someone who has never played one, and a lesson is no use to someone with no instrument at home.

Already owns a turntable: a record they are likely to play, or an accessory that suits the deck they have.
Wants lessons: a gift that pays for a first session, or time to practise on an instrument they already own.
Just curious: a record in a style they already mention, or an evening of listening together.

Within each situation the choice narrows quickly, and the next sections name the factors that do the narrowing.

A gift for someone who loves records should be chosen for what they play, not for what you would like to hear.

Buying the record you would like to hear

A common slip is buying for your own taste. The record you love feels like the obvious present, but the person who receives it is the one who has to live with the choice, and they may not share your enthusiasm for the same sound.

A gift is chosen for the listener, and the listener is the one who lives with the choice.

Second Pressing, on choosing for someone else

Keep to what they already play, or to a neighbouring style they have mentioned. If you are unsure, a gift they can exchange or add to is kinder than one they cannot use.

A finger touching a vinyl record on a teal turntable, with a sleeve at the left edge

Three factors, in the order they matter

The first is whether the recipient already has a turntable, since that decides whether a record or an accessory will be used at all. The second is whether they want to play music or start collecting, and the budget you set beforehand comes third.

Three facts about the records themselves

These describe the format, not the price, and they come from one guide to vinyl formats and speeds.

3 speeds: 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM. Read the speed printed on a label before you play a record. Source: Vinyl.com's guide to formats and speeds.
3 sizes: 12-inch, 10-inch and 7-inch records. A 7-inch single is a different present from a 12-inch album. Source: Vinyl.com's guide to formats and speeds.
About 22 minutes: What a 12-inch LP holds per side at most, so a long album may run across two sides. Source: Vinyl.com's guide to formats and speeds.

None of these numbers prices a gift. The price is the budget the giver sets, and the choice works best when that budget is settled before the shopping starts.

Work through the choice in this order

Start by deciding which situation the recipient is in, then choose the factor that matters most for it. Once you have a kind of gift in mind, check it against what they own and against the speed and size of any record you are buying.

Name the situation: already owns a turntable, wants lessons, or is just curious.
Look at what they own or mention, and what is on their shelf if you can see it.
Set a budget you can keep to, and leave room for one alternative.
Choose a kind of gift, then check the speed and size of any record in it.
Ask whether the gift can be changed or added to if it misses.

A gift that passes all five steps is unlikely to go wrong, though nothing here can promise a reaction.

Compare the kinds of place