Publications
Partners
Cape Town - American retail store Target has refused to sell Frank Ocean's upcoming album Channel Orange because it is being sold on iTunes ahead of its scheduled release date, reports Billboard.com.
The singer's manager, Christian Clancy, had fears that the retailer was refusing to sell his album as a result of his sexual preferences after Ocean recently admitted that he had an intimate relationship with a man.
In a tweet that was later deleted he wrote: "Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations."
The tweet was in response to an earlier case when the retailer cancelled a $10m television campaign for Lady Gaga's Born This Way album due to internal company differences over gay rights.
However, in a statement the company denied this was the case.
"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, such as Ricky Martin, B.o.B., and Gloria Estefan," the statement read.
'Apologise for my comments'
Frank Ocean's manager later took to the social network to retract his earlier tweet.
He tweeted: "I apologize for my comments about Target. They are not carrying Frank's album because it went digital first. Not for ANY other reason... My response was simply an emotional knee jerk reaction."
The retailer also set out to explain their decision not to sell the album.
"At Target, we focus on offering our guests a wide assortment of physical CDs, so our selection of new releases is dedicated to physical CDs rather than titles that are released digitally in advance of the street date."
The physical album was due to be released on 17 July but retailers have been instructed by Universal Music to sell it as soon as they have it in stores.
The singer's manager, Christian Clancy, had fears that the retailer was refusing to sell his album as a result of his sexual preferences after Ocean recently admitted that he had an intimate relationship with a man.
In a tweet that was later deleted he wrote: "Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations."
The tweet was in response to an earlier case when the retailer cancelled a $10m television campaign for Lady Gaga's Born This Way album due to internal company differences over gay rights.
However, in a statement the company denied this was the case.
"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, such as Ricky Martin, B.o.B., and Gloria Estefan," the statement read.
'Apologise for my comments'
Frank Ocean's manager later took to the social network to retract his earlier tweet.
He tweeted: "I apologize for my comments about Target. They are not carrying Frank's album because it went digital first. Not for ANY other reason... My response was simply an emotional knee jerk reaction."
The retailer also set out to explain their decision not to sell the album.
"At Target, we focus on offering our guests a wide assortment of physical CDs, so our selection of new releases is dedicated to physical CDs rather than titles that are released digitally in advance of the street date."
The physical album was due to be released on 17 July but retailers have been instructed by Universal Music to sell it as soon as they have it in stores.
