Jimmy Iovine Opens Up on Frank Ocean, Kanye Streaming Deals
After releasing two albums—Blonde and Endless—earlier this year exclusively on Apple Music, Frank Ocean finally stepped out of the shadows to reveal why he disappeared in the first place. In a rare interview, he explained his absence and why he split from Def Jam and chose to partner with Apple to release Blonde independently. Today, Apple Music executives Jimmy Iovine and Larry Jackson opened up about the deal and the business of streaming in a new interview with The New York Times. Iovine suggested that Apple was in no way involved in Ocean’s split from his label:
We wanted to work with Frank Ocean. We had a deal—we were working with Frank Ocean, and he controlled where his music came out. Why would it be in our interest to be part of a fast one, a slow one or any one? We were getting the record no matter what. Whatever happened with him and Universal is really between him and Universal. It has nothing to do with us. Nothing.
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