Singer Frank Ocean’s new album, Channel Orange, will not be sold at Target retail stores despite hitting No. One on iTunes Music store in 10 countries.
Target has stated that the reason was because of the early iTunes release, not because of Ocean’s recent coming out.
Ocean announced his bisexuality early July, becoming one of the first R&B artists to do so. His coming out was mixed with criticism and praise. Beyonce, Russell Simmons and former Odd Future band mate Tyler the Creator expressed how proud they are of Ocean.
“The claims made about Target’s decision to not carry the Frank Ocean album are absolutely false,” Target told CNN. “Target supports inclusivity and diversity in every aspect of our business. Our decisions are based on a wide number of factors, including guest demand.”
A Target representative added: “Target has a longstanding tradition of supporting music and artistry that reflects the diverse landscape of American culture.”
The decision was reportedly because Def Jam Recordings chose to release Channel Orange a week ahead of schedule.
Ocean’s manager, Christian Clancy, criticized Target’s decision in a post on Twitter that he later deleted suggesting the retailer chain had other motivations for pulling the album.
“Target has refused to carry Frank’s album because of iTunes exclusive,” Clancy’s originally tweeted. “Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations.”
Clancy later tweeted: “I would like to apologize for my comments about Target. They are not carrying Franks album because it went digital first. Not for ANY other reason. My response was simply an emotional knee jerk reaction…Stop. Breath. Do the best you can. Be honest. Keep it moving.”
Ocean tweeted: “Album won’t be available at target. blame it on a generational gap. best buy on deck though.”
