Frank Ocean signs publishing deal with Warner Chappell

Frank Ocean has signed a music publishing contract with Warner Chappell Music (WCM), according to an exclusive report by Variety. Ocean agreed to the deal in the fall of 2019 but intentionally kept it quiet. The absence of a press release is not unusual for Ocean, who typically keeps his cards close to his chest.

Previously, Ocean published music through his company Heaven’s Research under the care of BMG Rights Management. According to BMI’s database, the first songs he released after signing with WCM were the October–November 2019 singles “DHL” and “In My Room,” published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

Ocean’s record label, Blonded, remains independent. His contract with WCM concerns solely music composition rights and does not involve sound recordings. Ocean was said to be close to a deal with Columbia Records earlier in 2019, per Variety; however, sources say their talks fell through.