Def Jam: Early release of Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel Orange’ part of original marketing plan

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Odd Future fans who had July 17 marked on their calendars got a pleasant surprise late last night.

Not only did sudden headline-maker Frank Ocean make his television debut on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, but there was also a surprise announcement: the hotly anticipated Channel Orange would be streaming online
for the next 24 hours on Ocean’s Tumblr, as well as for sale on iTunes.
The album, which fans thought wouldn’t be available until next Tuesday,
became the No. 1 album on iTunes within the hour.

And according to Def Jam, that was all part of Channel Orange‘s unusual marketing strategy.

It all began in June, when Ocean mysteriously announced via teaser trailer
that the album would be coming out by July. That left a relatively
short period of time for promotion, but Team Ocean made the most of it.
Just within the past week, the buzz spiked when Ocean opened up about
his sexuality mere days before his cover profile in last Sunday’s New York Times Arts & Leisure section.

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