While Muscle Shoals was the “hit recording capitol of the world,” ironically one of the largest tape piracy duplicating facilities in the US was located across the river in Florence. The eight-track tape format was the “state-of-the-art format” at that time, and tape piracy was in epidemic proportions.

The act “updated” the antiquated laws governing copyright, including for the first-time protecting sound recordings. Congress enacted the Copyright Act of 1976. As mayor Draper had encouraged local banks, city governments and civic organizations to embrace the music industry. As MSMA grew through membership drives, and dues accumulated into a reliable form of revenue, the MSMA Board brought on their first executive director – former Sheffield Mayer Buddy Draper who was a longtime supporter of Muscle Shoals music. Eventually, the Board would include representatives from the Nashville offices of ASCAP and BMI. In 1975 the Muscle Shoals Music Association was formed… That first board was composed of studio owners Rick Hall (FAME) (who served as MSMA’s first president), Jimmy Johnson (MSS), David Johnson (Broadway), Terry Woodford (Wishbone), Al Cartee (Music Mill) and songwriter Terry Skinner. Studio owners recognized the need to work together in order to further their needs for local and state support. Local studios had grown from SPAR, FAME and Norala to include facilities such as Widget, Muscle Shoals Sound, Music Mill, Broadway, Wishbone… and hit records were being recorded at all of these… Muscle Shoals was recognized worldwide – well, everywhere in the world, but in the Quad Cities of northwest Alabama. By the mid 1970s the Muscle Shoals music industry was coming into its own… No longer was it a “mom and pop” small business… Nor was it a “bunch of hippies” making music.

Muscle shoals recording studio