At least, I’m assuming that the static pops are in fact arcs from static electricity. If so, how hot are they? Can they damage the vinyl at all?
I assume you’re talking about the good ol’ fashioned vinyl (or even shellac) records. The pops come from imperfections in the groove walls (like scratches) or external imperfections (like dust particles), not from static electricity.
Records can certainly hold a static charge, and they sell products such as anti-static sprays and cloths which claim to reduce it. Of course scratches and dust can result in ticks on a record, but static discharging when the stylus hits the surface can be audible as well. You may for instance hear a sort of crackle or buzz when you start playing a record - if you start it again and don’t hear it, most likely static was the cause. My sense it that it’s harmless as far as damaging the playing surface goes, but annoying at least, and if you are taping the music those sounds will wind up on the tape. Static also attracts dust, which you don’t want.
I find wiping the record’s surface with a clean velvet cloth lightly spritzed with a fine mist of distilled water from a spray bottle does some good.
The static electricity that builds up over the surface of an LP is enough to destroy the tweeter in my $3000 speakers with one ‘pop’.