Written by Eli Schwadron — Frank Ocean knows what he’s doing. The Long Beach, Calif. singer has already earned $1 million after ditching Def Jam and becoming an independent artist.
Ocean dropped his new album Blonde as an independent release through his own label Boys Don’t Cry, meaning he had no major label backing. According to FORBES, Apple pockets about a quarter of Blonde‘s list price ($9.99) while taking on marketing costs. FORBES staffers Natalie Robehmed and Ryan Mac estimate that Ocean’s indie label, Boys Don’t Cry, put up around $500,000 towards creating the album. With Blonde selling 276,000 copies first week, Ocean is left with an estimated $1 million in profit – from just seven days of sales. Robehmed and Mac write that Ocean would’ve only been owed around $550,000 if he had stayed with Def Jam for the Blonde release.
Meanwhile, Ocean’s other album, Endless, was put out through Def Jam to fulfill his contract with the record company. However, Def Jam will make next to nothing from the album; because Frank chose to drop Endless as one uninterrupted 45-minute visual, the release isn’t currently eligible to chart. The 28-year-old artist definitely has a good handle on the music business.
If you missed it, be sure to read XXL‘s Blonde review. Writer Scott Glaysher says, “Blonde walks a fine line between the Frank Ocean fans have come to know and love and a darker, more intriguing side. There are some vividly told stories about his past relationships, drug-induced love affairs and even some melodic messaging on the modern political landscape, proving nothing is off limits to share with his audience.”
You can cop Blonde from iTunes for $9.99, but you’ll have to watch Endless exclusively on Apple Music.
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