Re: OT "He is" or "I am"

[Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com>]

Michael,

I think you're taking the wrong view on this. You shouldn't give a  
damn "what people think" weather you or someone else has written the  
biography. The only thing that matters is who you are addressing with  
the text! If you want to use the web site to "show off" your personal  
artistic expression it may be fine to use "I am" and let the web site  
be a part of your "artistic outlet in the public domain". But if your  
intention is to provide the web site as a helpful resource for  
journalists, event promoters and general music business players you  
should definitely use the third person perspective.

I have been working for a couple of years as a full time artist under  
major label contract pressure and have never seen a press release  
written from the first person perspective. But a writer can bring in  
certain quotes of the artist where he/she may explicitly say  
something. After I quit the commercial scene I was working for a  
while as a freelance writer for record labels and publishing  
companies. I wrote each biography in three different versions; (1)  
one very short that targets busy journalists that might even want to  
copy and paste the text into their magazine, (2) one longer text that  
gives a little more artistically relevant background and (3) one very  
long text that spells it all out in details. This long version are  
for journalists that may want to do homework before doing a redio or  
tv interview. On a web site one take could be to use the short  
version on the web page and provide a link to the other two versions.

Go to www.allmusic.com and check out the biographies, they are well  
written with different levels of stylistic approach and tempo. And,  
as said: the key is to visualize and understand the reader of target.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
www.looproom.com (international)
http://tinyurl.com/fauvm (podcast)
http://tinyurl.com/2kek7h (CC donationware music releases)