A lot of my inbox is from outside the US. Artists from Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America, and the labels that work with them. Some of those emails turn into calls. Most do not, and usually for reasons the sender could have fixed in five minutes.
This is how I would pitch a US manager if I were the one sending it.
First, the one thing a US manager is checking
Is there already demand for this artist in America?
Not worldwide. America. The job of a US manager is to turn demand that already exists into US radio, TV, label deals and touring. If there is no US demand yet, there is nothing to turn. That does not mean the artist is not good. It means the US is not the next step yet.
So your pitch should answer that question in the first lines.
What to send
1. One sentence on who you are. Name, country, genre, label at home if there is one.
2. One US number. The single most useful line in the email. Examples of the kind of thing I mean:
- US share of monthly listeners and how it has moved over the last six months
- The US cities where the artist streams the most
- US social followers, or US engagement on a recent release
- US shows played, and how they sold
One number, with a time frame, beats a page of global stats.
3. One link. Your best song, or your streaming profile. Not a folder. Not a private link that asks me to sign in.
4. Who your home team is. Label, management at home, agent if any. A US manager working with an international artist usually works alongside the home team. I did that with BTS, as the group's US managing partner from 2016 to 2018 next to Big Hit Entertainment. The label stayed the label, and the US campaign was my side. Knowing who is already in place tells me how the work would be shared.
5. What you want. "We are looking for US management." "We are looking for a US partner for a 2027 release." Be specific. A vague ask gets a vague answer or none.
Ten lines is plenty.
What gets ignored
- A long biography. I skip to the number. If the number is not there, I usually stop.
- Global numbers with no US breakdown. "We have 2 million followers" tells me nothing about American demand.
- Large attachments. Links are fine. Twenty megabytes of WAV files are not.
- A press kit with no point. A deck is fine as a second step. It should not be the first email.
- Mass email. If I can see other managers in the "to" line, the email has told me it is not about me.
- Asking for a free plan. "What would you do for us?" before any relationship is asking for the work before the job.
- Paid audience. Bought streams and bought followers show up in the data. Once a manager sees them, the conversation is over.
- Too many follow-ups. One follow-up after a week or two is fine. After that, the answer is no for now.
Match the manager to the work
Look at what the manager has done before, with artists like you. A US manager who has broken K-pop groups knows the American TV bookers, the pop radio programmers and how to work next to a Korean label. A manager whose record is in American country knows a different set of people.
My record is in the first lane. I was BTS's US managing partner from 2016 to 2018, and I have managed Monsta X since 2018, through the Epic Records deal, the first K-pop set at the iHeartRadio Music Festival and a Staples Center headline show. I also manage Wonho. That is what an artist from Asia approaching me should be looking at. I wrote about [what an international music manager does](/international-music-manager/) and [who else has done this work](/blog/best-international-music-managers-2026/) in other markets.
Labels pitching for an artist
If you are a label or a management company at home, a few extra things help.
- Say what rights you control in the US and what you do not.
- Say what budget exists for a US campaign, even as a range. A plan with no budget is a wish.
- Say how much time the artist can actually spend in the US. A campaign needs the artist here, on TV, at stations and on stage.
- Say who makes decisions. A US manager has to know who says yes.
After you send it
If the answer is yes, it usually starts with a call. Expect questions about US demand, budget, the home team and timing. Expect the manager to say what they think is realistic, even if it is not what you hoped to hear.
If the answer is no, or no reply, the most useful thing is to keep building US demand and try again in six months with a better number.
US inquiries can go through [the contact page](/contact). Three lines, one number, one link.
More from the blog: How to get a music manager · What a US market entry plan looks like · Manager, label or label services · How a K-pop group launches in the US.