The Warner Music Group has launched a new digital advertising sales and creative content division, the company announced Tuesday (April 27). As part of the announcement, Benjamin Blank has been named president of media at WEA overseeing the department, reporting to recently-installed WEA president Maria Weaver.
The new division will wrap up Warner’s various owned creative content subsidies, including sites UPROXX, HipHopDX and the live music app Songtrust under Blank’s purview, where he will be in charge of creative and ad sales for all the company’s media properties. Blank was most recently CEO & chief creative officer of UPROXX, a site that describes itself as shaping and influencing youth culture, which Warner acquired in 2018.
All told, WMG says its YouTube channels, streaming and social platforms collectively pull in 30 billion views each month, representing a formidable bloc of interest that can now be sold together to advertisers under the new structure.
“Warner Music is a powerhouse, home to not only some of the world’s most influential artists, but also to culture-shaping brands and online destinations for music fans," Blank said in a statement. "Putting this collective firepower under one roof makes sense, allowing our partners to tap into our broad reach of fans across the globe at an even bigger scale. I look forward to working alongside Maria and am excited to continue to collaborate with my UPROXX family and everyone at HipHopDX and Songkick.”
The move is the latest executive appointment at WEA since the appointment last November of Weaver, who arrived from Comcast, where she had been chief marketing officer. In March, Weaver promoted longtime Warner Music Group veteran Elsa Vivero to the newly-created position of general manager/executive vp of WEA, giving her a wide purview within the company. Blank’s position is also new, representing an expanded portfolio under Weaver’s WEA.
“Since meeting Ben I’ve been impressed with his drive, his leadership and his fearless ability to think outside the box to create meaningful and engaging content," Weaver said in a statement. "He’s always in tune with the cultural conversation and he and the UPROXX team have built something really special. There’s no doubt he’s the right person to take the reins as we take a new approach to our owned media.”
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Lorde returned to Governor’s Ball for the first time in nine years and gave fans a unique take on her collaboration with Charli XCX, ‘Girl, So Confusing’.
The New Zealand singer made her long awaited comeback to the New York festival on Friday (June 5), where she headlined the opening night.
Speaking to the crowd about stepping back onto the Governor’s Ball stage after almost a decade away, Lorde admitted it was “the most nervous I’ve been for a show in a while”. She then treated fans to a string of beloved tracks including ‘Royals’, ‘What Was That’, and ‘Hammer’.
One of the standout highlights of the evening arrived near the end of her 21 song performance when she performed ‘Girl, So Confusing’, the track she later reworked alongside Charli XCX.
The song first appeared on Charli XCX’s hugely successful 2024 album ‘Brat’ without Lorde’s involvement, though it was inspired by her. In the lyrics, Charli reflected on the complicated feelings between the two artists and revealed she had once felt “super jealous” of the New Zealander’s achievements during her early career.
The pair later teamed up for a remix after Charli shared the song’s meaning with Lorde ahead of the release of ‘Brat’. Following that conversation, Lorde proposed creating a collaborative version together.
At Governor’s Ball, Lorde performed the remix adaptation during the closing section of her set and added her own personal touch to the track.
Charli was not present for the performance, leaving Lorde to deliver the song on her own. The moment stood out even more because the track had only appeared sparingly throughout Lorde’s recent ‘Ultrasound’ tour. More footage from the show can be seen below.
In addition to revisiting fan favourites and reimagining ‘Girl, So Confusing’, Lorde also surprised the audience with a preview of brand new material.
Early in the set, she introduced a portion of an unreleased song from the side of the stage. Standing behind a synthesizer setup, she sang: “Don’t look for me now that I’m gone/ Don’t look for me, I’m gone.”
Lorde’s festival appearances this summer follow her recent ‘Ultrasound’ tour, which was launched in support of her newest album, ‘Virgin’.
Released last June, the record earned a four star review from NME, which stated: “‘Virgin’ is a vibrant combination of Lorde’s best qualities, and then some.”
“With her newfound candour, the record combines the emotional whirlwind of ‘Melodrama’, the chilling minimalism of ‘Pure Heroine’ and the breezy freedom of ‘Solar Power’,” it added. “This might be called ‘Virgin’, but Lorde proves she’s not afraid to strip herself bare.”
While ‘Girl, So Confusing’ was not a regular feature during the ‘Ultrasound’ tour, Lorde did perform it at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles last October, where she surprised fans by bringing Charli XCX on stage.
Since releasing ‘Virgin’ and launching the accompanying tour, Lorde has contributed more than $200,000 from merchandise sales to Minnesota immigrant funds. She has also been announced as a headliner for All Points East 2026 in London, where PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson and additional artists are also set to appear.
