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Five last-minute gifts for the music lover

If you're looking for a cheap, last-minute gift that's also thoughtful, then try one of these five audio treats, all for under $30.

Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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Ty Pendlebury
2 min read

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They Might Be Giants' new Dial-A-Song service features 52 songs for 30 bucks.

OK, so it's 5 minutes to midnight on Christmas Eve and you still haven't got the music lover in your life a gift yet. It's too late to buy something on Amazon, so what do you do?

Sure, you could shove 20 bucks in his or her shirt pocket, tap it, and say, "Get something nice"...or, the classy move is to give one of these virtual stocking stuffers from $10 and up.

Best news of all, people can start using these gifts straight away, and don't need to wait by the letter box.

1. Murfie

Price: $25 a year

While the CD-trading website Murfie has Sonos' and other bundling promotions on occasion, the cheapest way to buy music for your friend is to get a yearly Gold subscription. It includes a $10 credit and users can then have their physical library (held at Murfie's warehouse) sent to them as MP3 or FLAC files.

2. Tidal

Price: $20 per month

When it comes to streaming services everyone knows about Spotify, but buying someone a subscription (given that most people get it for free) seems like an odd move. What you could do instead is invest in subscription-only service Tidal. Not only does its catalog rival Spotify's at 25 million songs but it's lossless, meaning better audio quality.

3. Drip

Price: From $9.99

We featured Drip a while back and it's still going strong, having added Seattle heavyweights Sub Pop and They Might Be Giants (below) in recent months. For your subscription you get a minimum of two new or catalog releases in whichever format you choose from one of over 30 different labels.

3. They Might Be Giants Dial-A-Song

Price: $30

They Might Be Giants' output didn't start and end with "Birdhouse in Your Soul," and this year they intend to prove it by writing and releasing 52 new songs! While most Drip subscriptions only last a month the Dial-A-Song promotion lasts a whole year for only $30, and features a new song each week.

5. iTunes Code

Price: $15

The original and still one of the best last-minute gifts. Sure, you could pop down to your 24-hour chemist and buy one, but why waste leg power and risk getting snow on you?