1. Refinery29 Evolves Into a Lifestyle Platform
Refinery29 is ready to make the leap from fashion Web site to lifestyle player — and is looking to define how the next generation of media companies operate. Once a site that published just a single post per week, Refinery29 now garners 90 million page views per month and will see its first overhaul since its launch in 2005 on Monday.
The look, which includes an updated logo and a sleek, modern interface that tracks how articles are trending on social networks, is part of the company’s mission to become a “24/7 technology lifestyle platform,” according to cofounders Philippe von Borries and Justin Stefano. Read more at WWD
2. How BET’s ‘The Game’ Launched a Legal War Over a Facebook Page
In January 2011, the television industry was shocked by the success of BET’s premiere ofThe Game, which had been canceled by The CW two years earlier. The show’s premiere attracted 7.7 million viewers, which led to some examination of how a revived series about the lives of professional football players had become so popular.
As detailed by The Hollywood Reporter that month, the network exploited social media to generate hype. One woman who was central to the story was Stacey Mattocks, an insurance agent who had created a Facebook page when the show was on The CW and worked to get the show back on air. Read more at THR
3. After Five Years, Beats Redesigns Studio Headphones
In 2008, Dr. Dre and Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine unveiled Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones. With help from celebrities–among them Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber–the headphones became a part of pop culture, and soon there wasn’t a subway or plane where they weren’t ubiquitous. “It really was the pillar of our brand,” says Beats Electronics president Luke Wood.
But after five years on the market, with countless offshoots and side products (Beats Pro, Executive, Wireless, Solo), the original Studio headphones have started to feel a bit dated. Toward that end, today, Beats Electronics introduced its first redesign of the Studio headphones in a half decade. The $300 headset doubles down on the Studio’s simple aesthetic, while improving sound quality and power management. It’s a sign that not all products require whiz-bang innovations; sometimes, incremental change is just what the Doctor ordered. Read More at Fast Company
4. DailyCandy and Tribeca Enterprises Parter for Fashion in Film Festival
Fashion meets film on September 19th and 20th thanks to DailyCandy and Tribeca Enterprises. The Fashion In Film festival is coming to New York’s Tribeca Cinemas and on DailyCandy.com. Viewers can watch two original short films and panel discussions with the hottest fashion and entertainment gurus. Read More at OK! Magazine
5. Uber CEO Talks Crazy Regulation and Doing On-Demand Service for Everything
Regulators in Colorado want to make it illegal for Uber cabs to come within 200 feet of a hotel, bar or restaurant. Governor John Hickenlooper, who appoints the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) charged with regulating transportation, is remaining suspiciously silent on the rather aggressive proposal.
“He made it very clear that he was not the person trying to put us out of business, but his appointees at the PUC that are trying to put us out of business,” said Uber Co-Founder Travis Kalanick this morning after a discussion he had with the governor at Fortune’s Brainstorm TECH conference at the Aspen Institute. Read More at TechCrunch