Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ Album Denied Distribution by Record Labels

It appears that Frank Ocean's decision to self-release his Blonde album had some unintended consequences. The singer has been unable to get any record label to handle the LP's physical distribution, according to Hits Daily Double.

Frank Ocean originally planned to drop the physical version of his album one week after the digital release. Mark Gillespie, the singer's manager, was reportedly turned down by all of the labels he approached.

The rumor suggests that labels are reticent to work with Frank Ocean following his abrupt departure from Def Jam Records. The Associated Press reported that the singer's Blonde album was kept a secret from Def Jam until shortly before its release.

Frank Ocean's issues with Def Jam led to both sides ending their arrangement. Def Jam agreed to let the "Novacane" artist out of his contract, which led to Blonde being an independent release through his own Boys Don't Cry imprint.

“He didn’t want to be on the label,” a source told the AP. “He wanted to do his own thing. I’m sure there was some kind of negotiation in order for him to get out of the contract if there were remaining commitments on the contract.”

Frank Ocean's handling of Blonde may have hurt his ability to work with labels, but it did not damage his earning potential. The enigmatic artist's indie release helped him rake in $1 million.

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