PORTLAND, Maine — Chris Brown, the first employee hired at Bull Moose, has worked there since 1991. After helping thousands of customers and following trends in the business for more than three decades, he is not going to be fazed when asked for gift ideas for the music geek in your life who already has everything and is nearly impossible to buy for.
Chris came up with some suggestions that he said might “pleasantly surprise.” Here they are along with his comments.
For the vinyl fan: vinyl care accessories
These items will help a vinyl fan get the most out of their collection.
- Everyone needs to clean their records so they will sound better and last longer. If they don’t have one or more record cleaning brushes next to their turntable, buy them one. Don’t be overwhelmed by the existence of fancier record cleaning options. The humble record cleaning brush is much better than nothing.
- Records and sleeves get scuffed, but you can buy sleeves to protect them.
For the person with a library-sized collection: the weirdest thing you can find
It’s hard to buy for someone with a huge collection, because you worry about buying something they already own. The answer is simple. Get the weirdest thing you can find. If it makes you wonder if it’s even music, you found the perfect gift.
Local experimental musician "id m theft able" is a great example of what I’m talking about. One of my favorite releases of his is a CD of two autoharps in a sleet storm in Windham, ME.
For the music lover who only streams: a membership or donation to a nonprofit music organization
Gifting often focuses on physical objects. You can bypass that by getting them a membership or donating to a music nonprofit. You could buy their merch too.
- Memberships to nonprofit venues, such as Portland One Longfellow Square or The Strand in Rockland, come with perks. The biggest benefit to joining is being able to see musicians who otherwise would not come to Maine.
- Music schools, such as the Maine Academy of Modern Music, train the next generation of musicians who will entertain us for years to come.
- Community, college, and public radio all have excellent locally-produced music programming.
For someone who only uses earbuds: wired headphones and a DAC
For around $100, you can get wired headphones that will blow away most earbuds. You could look at Sony, Audio-Technica, or if you want something made in America, check out Grado.
The digital-to audio converters (DACs) in laptops and phones are too cheap to sound good. For a little more than $100, you can upgrade their sound with a portable DAC. One side connects to your phone or USB port. The other end has a headphone jack.