In 2004, Josh Abraham purchased the property which operated as Soundcastle Recording Studios for more than 25 years in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake district. He met multi-platinum songwriter Scott Cutler after respondeding to a local newspaper ad that Cutler had placed selling studio equipment. Along with Anne Preven, Cutler and Abraham founded PULSE with $90,000 of their own money, signing Bonnie McKee, producer Tim Pagnotta and Oliver Goldstein. They went on to create PULSE Management and Songs of PULSE, both operating under the PULSE Recording umbrella. The company’s client roster had initial success with Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, “California Gurls”, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and “Part of Me”, Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite”, Phillip Phillips’ “Home” and Neon Trees’ “Animal” and “Everybody Talks”. PULSE operates six recording studios, two based at its headquarters in Los Angeles, and four based in Burbank.

In 2012, the company established a partnership with Creative Nation, the Nashville-based music management and publishing company owned by songwriter Luke Laird and his wife Beth Laird, and in 2014, it partnered with Fujipacific Music as well as Rick Rubin’s American Songs, and Marc Anthony’s Magnus Media in 2016. In 2017, it announced a joint venture with Nas’ Mass Appeal to “focus on discovering up-and-coming artists”. In 2017, Mass Appeal announced a joint venture with PULSE.

PULSE’s roster of multi-platinum songwriters and producers includes Starrah, who co-wrote Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You” and Camila Cabello’s “Havana.” “Havana” was the first single by a female artist to top the Pop, Rhythmic and Adult Pop charts simultaneously since 1996. Marty James, writing for PULSE, received credit for the Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” English-language remix, and OZ is the sixth person in history to consecutively hold the #1 position on Billboard’s Songwriters and Producers charts. Several hits by these writers (as well as Foster the People’s double-platinum single “Sit Next to Me” co-written and produced by Abraham) saw the company’s revenue increase by 205% in 2017.

PULSE saw four Grammy Award nominations in 2018, including: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop/Duo or Group Performance for ‘Despacito (Remix)’, and Best Rap Song. It was named AIMP’s Indie Music Publisher of the Year in 2018, counting with over 10,000 songs and 175 active clients. The company absorbed Hitcher in 2018, bringing a film & tv sync staff completely in-house. PULSE Music Group had sold 150 million units from over 50 songs co-written by its clients by 2018. In 2019, the company established a joint venture with BEAT HOUSE, in partnership with Tiffany Kimar, former Global Head of Songwriter Relations at Spotify.

PULSE Music Group formed an A&R focused creative joint venture partnership with Concord Music Publishing in January 2020. Triggered by Concord’s acquisition of Fujipacific Music’s global stake in PULSE, the deal means Concord now administers the PULSE catalog and all future signings. Cutler and Josh Abraham run the joint venture, along with the executive team including PULSE Senior Vice President Ashley Calhoun. Fujipacific continues to sub-publish the PULSE catalog and new works in Japan, India and Southeast Asia. PULSE’s writing and production catalogue has accounted for sales of more than 150 million units worldwide, and more than 15 billion music streams. The company’s recent music publishing signings include Kehlani, James Blake, Flo Milli, Ty Dolla $ign, Trevor Daniel, SG Lewis and Cordae.

In June 2020, as part of the Blackout Tuesday movement, Abraham and Cutler pledged a $100,000 commitment to Black organizations and campaigns to fight racial injustice, and announced the formation of an advisory panel to determine which organizations would be recipients. The company also committed to providing scholarship and internship opportunities to students from HBCU’s.

In November 2020, producer Mike Dean entered into a creative joint venture with PULSE Music Group. The first signing to the new joint venture was Apex Martin, whose credits include tracks by Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, and PNB Rock. PULSE’s clients contributed to some of 2020’s most successful songs including Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You”, Future and Drake’s “Life Is Good”, Drake’s “Toosie Slide”, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me”, Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage Remix (feat. Beyoncé) and Trevor Daniel’s “Falling”. By the end of 2020, PULSE Music Group had accrued 250+ Gold and Platinum certifications; 150m+ units sold; 15b+ music streams; and 60+ BMI and ASCAP awards, including two BMI “Song of the Year” awards.”