Last-Minute Gifts for Musicians & Music Lovers (That Don't Need Shipping)

It happens to everyone. The birthday is tomorrow, the last delivery date was on Tuesday, and the person you're buying for is the one in the family who actually plays. Socks won't do, and a gift card to a shop they never use says exactly what it is.

The good news is that a lot of the best presents for musicians don't need a delivery van. Every idea on this list can be bought tonight and given tomorrow, at Christmas or any other time of the year: some arrive by email, some you print at home, and a couple you can pick up on the way over. Each comes with a note on who it suits.

1. A MusicGurus gift membership, printed as a card

We'll start with ours, because we built it for exactly this moment. A MusicGurus gift membership is a month, three months or a year of the whole library: video courses and interactive songbooks from more than a hundred professional musicians, for piano, guitar, voice, drums and plenty more. You don't need to know their grade or their style. Everything is included, so they choose where to start.

What makes it a last-minute gift is the printable card. Choose "Print a card to give" when you set it up, and as soon as you've paid you can download a single sheet for A4 or US Letter paper. Fold it twice and it becomes a small card that looks like a wrapped present, with a ribbon, a bow and a gift tag carrying their name. Inside is your message, the gift code and a QR code they can scan to redeem it. Nothing is emailed to them, so the surprise is yours to hand over.

You pay once and nothing renews. Their time starts when they redeem the code, not when you buy it, so a gift opened on a busy day loses nothing. And if you'd rather send it by email, you can do that too, straight away or on the morning of the day you choose.

Best for: anyone who plays, used to play, or keeps saying they'll start. Build their gift; it takes about two minutes.

2. A Bandcamp gift card

For the person whose record collection is half the personality. Bandcamp gift cards can be emailed or printed, and they spend them on music bought straight from the artists and labels they love, which matters to people who care where their money goes. If you already know the album they're after, Bandcamp also lets you send a single album or track as a gift by email.

Best for: the crate-digger, and anyone who has ever recommended you a band you hadn't heard of.

3. Gig tickets on their phone

Still the best experience gift there is, and these days most tickets are digital, so there's nothing to post. Check three things before you buy: a date they can actually make, an artist they'd happily queue for, and whether the venue is standing or seated. Buy from the venue or the official seller rather than a resale site, then screenshot the confirmation and put it in a card.

Best for: the person whose best-night-ever stories all start in a venue.

4. The software upgrade they keep putting off

Producers and home-recording musicians always have one piece of software on the wish list, and it is rarely cheap. Some makers sell their products as gifts: Ableton sells Live as a gift, for example, and many plugin companies sell gift cards. It all arrives by email. If they haven't settled on a DAW yet, our guide to the best DAW software for beginners will help them choose.

Best for: the one with the laptop, the MIDI keyboard and very specific opinions about compressors.

5. Lessons with a local teacher

Most private music teachers will happily sell you a block of lessons and send the details by email the same day. Write it in a card and you've given them a real person to turn up for every week, which is the thing that keeps most learners going. Ask a local music shop or school who they recommend, or look for teachers who list a trial lesson.

Best for: the beginner who needs a nudge, and the returning player who wants someone to be accountable to.

6. Something from the local music shop

Not every last-minute gift has to be digital. An independent music shop will usually have what a player uses every day: a clip-on tuner, a set of strings or reeds in the gauge they use, a proper music stand, a capo, a decent pair of closed-back headphones for late-night practice. Many shops also offer click and collect, so you can order online and pick it up the same day. None of it is glamorous. All of it gets used.

Best for: the person who practises every day, and everyone who lives with them.

7. An hour in a studio

For a band, or for anyone who has never heard themselves properly recorded, an hour in a rehearsal room or a recording studio is a present they'll remember. Most studios take bookings online. Print the confirmation, or ask the studio for a voucher, and let them pick the date.

Best for: the band that rehearses in a garage, and the singer-songwriter with a notebook full of songs.

The short version

If you know exactly which album, gig or plugin they want, buy that and enjoy being right. If you don't, give them the thing they'll use most: time with the musicians they look up to. A MusicGurus gift membership is one payment, it is ready to print the minute you've paid, and it starts when they're ready.

Shopping with more time to spare? Our Christmas gift guide for music lovers and our Father's Day gift guide have more ideas.