On December 17, 2022, Frank Ocean reissued his 2016 album Blonde on vinyl through his record label blonded. The double LP included a 12" × 36" lyrics foldout with a message by Ocean that stretched across the entire sheet (labeled “cost of master recordings”), detailing his efforts to secure ownershi...
Cost of master recordings: two Nike gym bags full of unmarked bills, 4 hours on hold with The Chairman's secretary, 2 (two) approximately 8-minute conversations with The Chairman (as played by Jeremy Strong), $360,000 in retainer fees for King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP (since paid), 1 (one) 45-minute LP entitled "Endless" made to the spec of recording agreement, 8 pounds of muscle, 720 nights at Mercer Hotel, 365 twelve-hour blocks at Abbey Road Studios, EastWest Studios, Electric Lady Studios, Shangri-La, Capitol Recording Studios, Question de Son, and seedier establishments that will remain unnamed (or forgotten), 1 liver filtering 492 liters of alcohol at the bar of Plastic People, $13,000 on all-black designer clothing, 18 flights to Berlin for club, 2 (two) devastating heartbreaks (the third wasn't devastating).
Cost of Master Recordings (Blonde Vinyl Lyrics Foldout) was written by Frank Ocean.
Cost of Master Recordings (Blonde Vinyl Lyrics Foldout) was produced by Frank Ocean.
Frank Ocean released Cost of Master Recordings (Blonde Vinyl Lyrics Foldout) on Sat Dec 17 2022.
The 12" × 36" lyrics foldout, accompanying the Blonde 2022 vinyl, featured a message that stretched across both sides of the sheet, “whiting out” the lyrics.
Side A.
Side B.
Side A.
Side B.
On December 17, 2022, Frank Ocean reissued his 2016 album Blonde on vinyl, selling the new LP for $65 on blonded.co; shipping commenced in January 2023.
The 2022 vinyl reissue included a redesigned gatefold; unlike the 2016 Black Friday LP, the refreshed cover artwork is printed in full color on a...
A day after listing the vinyl reissue of Blonde for sale on December 17, 2022, Frank Ocean posted a photo of the lyrics foldout to his Instagram story with a disclaimer about the message written across the sheet:
This is a work of fiction.
Some fans have theorized that “The Chairman” is a fictional representation of Lucian Grainge, the head of Universal Music Group; however, it’s more likely that an amalgamation of people in charge of Frank Ocean’s former parent & subsidiary record labels inspired the singular character.
Grainge...
“The Recording Artist” is the fictional alter ego of Frank Ocean and a character depicted in blonded’s 2019 photo series by Michael Marcelle, following “the story of a fictitious Recording Artist as he navigates the radio system.”
Presumably, “The Recording Artist” is the author of this note on the...
On December 19, 2022, photographer Michael Marcelle reacted on Instagram to his photo of “The Chairman” (the same character referenced in the lyrics foldout) appearing on the foldout poster accompanying the 2022 vinyl reissue of Frank Ocean’s Blonde:
So psyched to have some photos included in the r...