Beats Electronics has partnered with the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation to preserve the history and culture of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.

This project will include restoring the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio to a fully functioning recording studio, as well as updating the FAME Recording Studio. As a key part of the project, Beats will foster training for current and aspiring musicians, producers, and engineers with opportunities to work and learn in these classic spaces. Studio time working with experienced recording professionals will be granted at no cost to applicants who best meet the program’s stated objectives. A portion of Beats’ festive period sales proceeds will help fund this project.

"Magic is a word that’s too often misused in the record industry. Muscle Shoals is different, it’s one of the rare places where it really exists," said Beats cofounder Jimmy Iovine. “Anytime you can capture such a distinct and authentic sound over and over again, that’s something worth protecting.”

“Too many of America’s greatest recording studios are falling into commercial disrepair or falling prey to the pressures of real estate development,” said Beats president Luke Wood. “We are extremely happy that we can leverage Beats’ success to help return Muscle Shoals to a level befitting its rich history and create a program that will provide the next generation of great producers, engineers, and recording artists with access to free studio time and the opportunity to learn the trade from experienced recording professionals, and we are especially pleased to launch this project during the holiday season.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with an amazing company like Beats to ensure that we bring the Muscle Shoals Sound to a new generation of listeners,” said Muscle Shoals Music Foundation Chairman Rodney Hall. “The Muscle Shoals Sound is a funky, soulful music mash-up of great players, songs, and singers, and just as with Beats, we are all about the magic of music. We think that Beats is the perfect partner for this project and we want to thank the entire Beats staff for helping to keep our sound alive.”

www.sustainthesound.com