Negotiating a temporary - and in a few cases, permanent - monopoly on a blockbuster LP has become the primary strategy for competing streaming services trying to distinguish their otherwise largely indistinguishable music libraries. This sort of deal is now standard for big-ticket records - the Times story noted that Apple Music recently made similar arrangements for albums by Drake, Chance The Rapper, Future, and The 1975. But as far as how Boys Don’t Cry will be heard, Channel Orange already feels like it belongs to a different decade.Īs the New York Times first reported on Monday, Boys Don’t Cry will be available exclusively via Apple Music for the first two weeks before matriculating to other streaming sites and retailers. It remains to be seen how the passage of time has impacted Ocean’s art. In terms of the music industry, the four-year gap between Frank Ocean albums feels even longer. It’s been a long journey to this point - Ocean’s previous LP, Channel Orange, came out in July 2012, a distant time when people still looked forward to summer movies and establishment Republicans supported their party’s presidential candidate. On Friday, barring any additional delays, Frank Ocean will finally release his second studio album, Boys Don’t Cry.

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