Wed 31 Aug 2016
Frank Ocean Has Already Made a Mil By Going Independent
Posted by Andy B. under Music NewsNo Comments

Frank Ocean pulled a fast one on Def Jam and Universal by fulfilling his contract with the visual album Endless — essentially a 45-minute music video that’s not for sale — before dropping his proper album, Blonde, via his own Boys Don’t Cry imprint just two days later. It was a risky move that could see him slapped with a lawsuit from Universal, but for now, Frank’s hustle is paying off big time.
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According to Forbes‘ calculations, Frank Ocean has already made $1 million profit in the week since releasing Blonde independently. By leaving Def Jam and Universal, Ocean’s earnings skyrocketed from approximately $1.50 to $2.00 per album to between $5 and $7.50 (Apple pockets a quarter of the $9.99 sale price).
Blonde sold 276,000 units in its first week, according to Nielsen Music, meaning Frank would have banked around $1.5 million from the album’s digital sales and streams. Of course, without the backing of a major label, Boys Don’t Cry would have had to front the costs to produce the album (which Forbes estimates at $500,000), but that still leaves Frank comfortably in the black.
Had he released Blonde on Def Jam, Frank would have only made around $550,000 — a good portion of which would likely have gone back to the label anyway to pay off the advance he would have received.
So there you have it, kids. Sign to a major, become a star, finesse that major and make double your money. Or do what Chance The Rapper does and keep it indie all the way.
Related: Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ Album Debuts at No. 1 on Album Charts