Is Frank Ocean in the reddest of danger zones with new album ‘Blonde’?
According to a new report, the crooner has sunk into the deep end with the “surprise” release.
Find out how after the jump…
As widely chronicled here on That Grape Juice, Ocean caused shockwaves in the industry when he used visual album ‘Endless’ to fulfil his Def Jam/Universal contract only to release his “true” sophomore effort ‘Blonde’ days later independently.
Initially hailed as a masterstroke by some, others warned that drama lay ahead. And per Hits Daily Double, it’s finally begun to play out.
See, remember we reported that Ocean was on the hunt for major label distribution for ‘Blonde’ – which is still only available digitally?
Well, according HDD, that exercise has proven fruitless.
Why?
Because industry forces are allegedly unwilling to play ball with the reclusive star so as to send a message to other acts. “Such behaviour won’t be rewarded” seems to be the content of said memo.
The report verbatim claims that Ocean’s manager was “turned down by all labels that he approached.”
Citing a source close to the label side of the situation, it’s said that the majors are not interested in doing “second-week releases.”
It’s somewhat of fair point given that it appears the desired partner label would not be entitled to returns from the initial “indie” sales of ‘Blonde.’
What’s more, things have gotten quiet with the project since its August debut. A reality which leaves no guarantee that reviving the LP would prove financially beneficial.
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The whole situation is fascinating, as is the prospect of what’s to come.
Will Team Ocean continue to seek a physical distributor? Or will ‘Blonde’ sail to the island of irrelevance like so many releases before it? Whether the latter or the former, the next chapters of his career will be interesting.