Frank Ocean Vs. Target: Why His Album Won't Be Sold There

Frank Ocean's manager has backed off his accusation that Target was refusing to stock the newly out singer's album because of homophobia.

Ocean's manager, Christian Clancy, first announced on Twitter that the department store chain wouldn't carry his album "Channel Orange" when it's released on July 17, then he added, "Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations."

Clancy has since deleted the tweet. Not only does Target carry albums from out singers including Adam Lambert and Ricky Martin, but the company has also changed its policies since the controversial campaign donations it made in 2010.

Target actually sold T-shirts in honor of Gay Pride this June, for example. And its employees recorded an It Gets Better video. The company has also assured customers it has largely backed out of the politics business and won't be donating to either side of the marriage equality debate in its home state of Minnesota. So the store reacted fiercely to the accusation in a statement reported by MTV News.

"The claims made about Target's decision to not carry the Frank Ocean album are absolutely false,” the statement said. “Target supports inclusivity and diversity in every aspect of our business. Our assortment decisions are based on a number of factors, including guest demand."

Target is actually protesting the fact that Ocean's album is already available online at iTunes before stores can sell it. The early release of albums online bothers retailers who claim it hurts their own sales.

Now Clancy is back on Twitter apologizing. "My response was simply an emotional knee jerk reaction," he said. "I apologize for my comments about Target. They are not carrying Franks album because it went digital first. Not for ANY other reason."