Target refuses to carry Frank Ocean’s debut album, Channel Orange! They will not be carrying Ocean’s album because of his label’s decision to release it ahead of schedule.
Ocean recently came out to the world on Tumblr that he had a romantic relationship with a man. Some of the songs on his CD are supposedly written about the relationship and falling in love with a man.
There were rumors that Target’s refusal to carry Ocean’s album was because of his sexuality. Ocean’s manager Christian Clancy tweeted about this speculation: “Target has refused to carry Frank’s album because of iTunes exclusive. Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations.” However, Target denies these speculations, “The claims made about Target’s decision to not carry the Frank Ocean album are absolutely false. Target supports inclusivity and diversity in every aspect of our business. Our assortment decisions are based on a number of factors, including guest demand.” Clancy has since deleted his tweet.
Target’s decision not to sell Channel Orange is based on the fact the album was sold digitally first on iTunes. In a statement, Target said that they focus on selling physical CDs, rather than titles that are released digitally in advance. Channel Orange was released on iTunes the morning of July 10th, one week ahead of the scheduled July 17th physical CD release.
Even though Target will not have Ocean’s album, he is still expected to sell 100,00 to 120,000 copies and debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Will YOU buy his album on iTunes first, or wait until the hard copy comes out?
