Underground R&B star Frank Ocean's Channel Orange has received signficant critical praise since its surprise debut on Tuesday, yet it won't be avaiable at Target, one of the nation's largest retailers.
The Odd Future member and his manager suggested the decision had something to do with Ocean coming out in a Tumblr post last week and the album's surprise early release on iTunes. Channel Orange is now receiving mainstream attention and Billboard expects the album to debut at the number two spot on the Billboard chart.
Ocean responded to Target's announcement tweeting:
According to MTVNews, Ocean's manager Christian Clancy wrote in a since-deleted tweet: "Target has refused to carry Frank's album because of iTunes exclusive. Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations."
Clancy was referring to a 2010 controversy when Moveon.org organized a boycott against Target after the company donated $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, a political group that backed gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who opposes gay marriage.
Yet in June, the retail giant angered the opposition, when they announced that they would be selling gay pride T-shirts, with 100% of proceeds going to Family Equality Council, a group that supports gay rights and was working to raise $120,000 towards defeating the Minnesota Marriage amendment.
Clancy later backpedaled on his statement, calling it an "emotional knee-jerk reaction". Now, he says the retailer will not be carrying the album because of its surprise digital release.
Following the accusations, Target said in a statement:
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.
Target has a longstanding tradition of supporting music and artistry that reflects the diverse landscape of American culture. Our history of partnering with diverse artists includes recent partnerships with a variety of musicians.
Pre-release sales forecasts estimated the album would sell 40,000 to 50,000, but the latest predictions peg the number somewhere in the 100,000 to 120,000 range.
