Pulse Music Group and Concord Launch Pulse Records
The new label will focus on emerging artists and existing acts with Pulse ties.
Pulse Music Group, which already houses music publishing and artist management arms, has started Pulse Records with Concord. Pulse Music Group co-CEOs Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham, along with Ashley Calhoun, president and head of creative, will lead the label, which will be part of Universal Music Group-distributed Concord Label Group.
The deal builds on a partnership between Pulse and Concord started in 2020 when Concord’s music publishing division acquired a stake in Pulse Music Group to form a joint venture that included Concord administering Pulse’s catalog and future signings.
Pulse is in talks with a number of acts to join its label roster. “We have been looking to grow our Pulse Music Group brand into the records space for a while now. Given our background as producers and songwriters in our own right, we bring a unique perspective to working in the label space — but we knew we had to get our footing right,” said Abraham and Cutler in a joint statement. “Now with the 15-year success of our publishing division, a company we have built from scratch, we are surrounded by the very best in emerging talent and a highly curated roster.”
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The pair added, “With Pulse Records, we will continue to set a very high artistic bar. In addition to launching emerging talent, we have plans to work with artists that helped to redefine genres with whom we have created very strong relationships over the years that will soon be coming out of their existing deals… It takes the right business partners to build a business like this, and we couldn’t be happier to have the backing of Concord and the support and business acumen of its senior leadership team as we continue to grow Pulse Music Group and launch Pulse Records.”
Bob Valentine, Concord’s incoming CEO (he replaces outgoing CEO Scott Pascucci, effective July 1), added, “Scott, Josh, Ashley, and the team at Pulse have been a great collaborator with Concord in publishing some of the highest charting songs in the world. Globally recognized as one of the leading frontline creative teams and first-class incubators for culturally relevant music, Pulse Music Group is a company that Concord continues to greatly admire, and we couldn’t ask for more exceptional business partners as we work to launch Pulse Records.”
Pulse Records’ growing staff also includes senior vp/head of marketing Lauryn Caldwell, who joins from mtheory, where she was vp of marketing and artist partnerships. Sarah Ahmed, who was previously senior director of marketing at Atlantic Records, comes aboard as vp of marketing. Tizita Makuria, who joined Pulse in 2022, has been named vp of creative for both the publishing and label divisions, while former Alamo Records executive Bel Masbahi will serve as creative director of A&R for both divisions.
Pulse Music Group, which Cutler, Abraham and songwriter Anne Preven started in 2007, has been on a hot streak lately. Isaac “Zac” De Boni & Michael “Finatik” Mulé (who goes by FNZ) took home song of the year honors at BMI Pop Awards for The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber’s “Stay,” while Tyler Johnson won the Ivor Novello Award for co-writing for Harry Styles’ “As It Was.” Angel Lopez co-wrote “First Class” by Jack Harlow, while Gregory “Aldae” Hein co-wrote Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers.”
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