Why Target Won’t Stock Frank Ocean’s Album

Controversy is swirling around singer Frank Ocean. With a new album, Channel Orange, about to hit stores next week, Ocean recently admitted that some of the songs on the album refer to a former romance with a man, the Los Angeles Times notes.

And now Target (NYSE:TGT) has announced that it will not stock Channel Orange. The discount retailer’s stand provoked tweets from Ocean’s manager, Christian Clancy, hinting that it was bowing to pressure from anti-gay groups.

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But Target maintains that it’s refusing the carry Ocean’s CD because the singer has already released the album digitally through Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes, and it prefers to stock only albums released on physical formats like CDs without advance digital sales.

Target also pointed out that it stocks albums from a number of gay and lesbian musicians, including Elton John, Ricky Martin and Adam Lambert, as well as retailing gay pride-themed apparel.

Clancy has since retreated from his earlier assertions regarding Target’s motives.

Shares of Target rose more than 2% in Friday trading.