The Guy Behind the .music TLD says why he did it

[adinfinite]

The same guy bought music.mobi for more tha 600K

http://mixergy.com/constantine-roussos/

 

[DnEbook]

i have no problem with someone trying to change things and following through on a dream , i think the annoying thing about our world is it just so hard to please everyone and as mentioned not every band may get to use this extension .......now we are getting complicated indeed , and now there are more lawsuits to deal with and so on and the idea/dream goes another day of not eventuating ?

As for branding i think it would be embraced

I think what i am trying to say is there was once music on mtv , although i cant remember any music on it last time i looked ......... a while ago now

 

[Sam]

He did it for the money. DUH

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

dotmusic,

My beef is with ICANN, not you.

My concern is strictly based on the belief that .generic words should NOT be in the control of individuals and special interest groups because of their potential to stifle language in general. I do believe that you have good intentions and seem passionate (and that is to be commendable), but you will not always control the TLD. At some point, you (and your group) may decide to sell it or (God forbid) something might happen to you and control passes to someone not as alturistic as you. Then, what?

This has nothing to do with whether I believe that such TLDs will be successful or failures; no matter what happens, I have no desire to invest in .music or .loans domains. My opinion is based on a deeper philosophical belief, not at all related to success/failure.

If you leave just because a few of us have questioned your concept (for whatever reason), then you are looking for a bunch of yes-men and yes-women, and namepros is the wrong place for that. Perhaps some of us have been rather abrupt with you, and, perhaps, we should have tempered our remarks a bit, but I suspect that you are going to encounter a lot worse in your quest for this TLD and from a lot of people who wield much more power than little 'ole us.

Best to you.

*

 

[dotmusic]

Sorry to hear about the earthquake.
Just saw it on the News...7.2!!!
That was pretty damn HUGE.

We actually just had one up here last month in the Chicagoland area, I think it was a 4.2 or 4.3 and everyone was very shook up about that! :lol:

As for your .Music Game Plans, I like the way you think!
Don't think small, Shoot for the Stars!

I just read an article about Online Live Gaming and how we haven't tapped into the market as of yet.
The Music Progression from amateur to Superstardom as an online game sounds absolutely Brilliant.

Actually, I cant believe that doesnt exist yet. - Amazing.
I would say Good Luck but I'm sure you won't need it since anything to do with music will of course be a hit especially since it hasnt ben done as of yet.
Hey If Farmville could be a Monstrous success, then...Music - Wow.

Just imagine the guy who put a million dollars into the execution of Farmville...
Imagine him pitching that idea to...anyone! LOL

Have you ever visited the Stereofame site?
It has done extremely well, very quickly with a couple similar ideas, on a much smaller scale.

Well, I don't want to take up all of your time with B.S.-ing but I just wanted to say once more,
It is extremely cool of you to take your time out here with us, and share some of your exciting News.

Thanx and EFF all the haters!
Vito

Thanks for the message! I checked out Stereofame.com. Seems like it has a neat idea in regards to the scoring system and points. I thought about this extensively with the game i am building for music and in the end it is all about engagement, education and competition to be the best that you can be. I think the success of games like Farmville has been attaching the urgency of "time-sensitivity". For example, if you do not grow your crops or maintain them at a specific hour, you lose them. I have thought of a few scenarios that this could relate to music as well. In the end millions of bands compete for attention, however only the ones with probably the better music (youd hope) or the better marketing efforts prevail. However, most of the bands will only get one shot with listeners. The same with Farmville. It is a team game, competition with your friends, competition within the game with other farmvillers and also there is a reward for accomplishing things on there. It is quite a case study for both social media engagement as well as a business model.

---------- Post added at 09:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 AM ----------

*

dotmusic,

My beef is with ICANN, not you.

My concern is strictly based on the belief that .generic words should NOT be in the control of individuals and special interest groups because of their potential to stifle language in general. I do believe that you have good intentions and seem passionate (and that is to be commendable), but you will not always control the TLD. At some point, you (and your group) may decide to sell it or (God forbid) something might happen to you and control passes to someone not as alturistic as you. Then, what?

This has nothing to do with whether I believe that such TLDs will be successful or failures; no matter what happens, I have no desire to invest in .music or .loans domains. My opinion is based on a deeper philosophical belief, not at all related to success/failure.

If you leave just because a few of us have questioned your concept (for whatever reason), then you are looking for a bunch of yes-men and yes-women, and namepros is the wrong place for that. Perhaps some of us have been rather abrupt with you, and, perhaps, we should have tempered our remarks a bit, but I suspect that you are going to encounter a lot worse in your quest for this TLD and from a lot of people who wield much more power than little 'ole us.

Best to you.

*

Thanks for the reply. Being a Greek-Cypriot, I do like the philosophical approach but in business I try to not get too caught up with it. I appreciate your comments and must agree with what you say about ICANN. The problem is that the "regular Internet" user does not attend ICANN meetings and they have organizations such as ALAC representing the at large Internet community. I am not very convinced that their input in many cases represents what actual Internet users would like. Again, no-one would fly to these meetings in places such as Nairobi, Kenya which had security problems as of late to bring their views to ICANN. It is an upward battle and I am hoping to bring some change there because they do need some new blood in their "red-tape" of a process. I just hope the powers that be do not waste mor eof my time and resources waiting on insignificant matters and stuff that have obvious solutions.

 

[Kate]

What I failed to realize was how extreme the red tape is with ICANN, how slow the process is, how many lobbyists there are, how many governments are involved with GAC and how many "big" players love the status quo and want to stifle innovation. Note that it is in ICANN's bylaws to increase competition

As if the new extensions were any threat to the established ones.
Get real :tu:
I think that Icann have done enough damage already, by releasing meaningless TLDs. Examples include (in my book) .aero .coop .mobi .museum etc.
One special mention for .cat, not that I am against by principle but granting 'privileged' status to one specific community clearly opens a can of worms. Now it's going to be more difficult to treat future applications in a fair and balanced manner. What are they going to say to the Basques if they demand their own subTLD ?
I find that new extensions involve a whole lot of new issues, while solving zero problems.

As for the generic keyword extension. I am surprised nobody mentioned that yet, but they are typically language-specific.
Dot music is not the best example, as the spelling of 'music' has minimal variations across many languages but let's consider another example.
Suppose Icann was to approve a .realestate or .realty TLD. Even if the TLD took off (somewhat) in North America, the French would not buy it, nor would the Italians or the Germans... instead they would (possibly) look more favorably at a .immo.
Ditto for .cars .food .travel .loans.
These possible TLDs are even less appealing when English is not your mother tongue.

All in one I think the state of mind that prevails in this thread is definitely US-centric.

 

[Ms Domainer]

*

I think my comments could also refer to other language generic words as well, so I'm not trying to be U.S.-Centric, but I do speak English, so I'm likely to use English in my examples. However, I must add that English IS becoming a global language.

I am currently living in the Balkans, and you would not believe the amount of English spoken here and the amount of English on billboard signs and English-language shows and music on TV and radio. Little kids on the playground speak English because of boomerang tv (GAH!). I know this because my son and granddaughter recently visited, and we took her to the playground across the street, and when we weren't traveling or going places, she was parked in front of boomerang.

Having said that, I do believe that other companies will jump on this bandwagon, applying for non-English generics. And, yes, this granting of generic TLDs to the highest bidder will open up a can of worms and has already with the .food fiasco:

Domain Name Wire » News » Minds+Machines Sues Wolfgang Puck over .Food TLD - The Domain Industry's News Source

Anyway, I believe that someone who owns a generic TLD should realize that he or she could wield a lot of power in the market place and should use that power responsibly; however, I just see so much potential for abuse, which was the point of my first post.

No disrespect meant toward anyone, just a philosophical concern.

*

 

[dotmusic]

As if the new extensions were any threat to the established ones.
Get real :tu:
I think that Icann have done enough damage already, by releasing meaningless TLDs. Examples include (in my book) .aero .coop .mobi .museum etc.
One special mention for .cat, not that I am against by principle but granting 'privileged' status to one specific community clearly opens a can of worms. Now it's going to be more difficult to treat future applications in a fair and balanced manner. What are they going to say to the Basques if they demand their own subTLD ?
I find that new extensions involve a whole lot of new issues, while solving zero problems.

As for the generic keyword extension. I am surprised nobody mentioned that yet, but they are typically language-specific.
Dot music is not the best example, as the spelling of 'music' has minimal variations across many languages but let's consider another example.
Suppose Icann was to approve a .realestate or .realty TLD. Even if the TLD took off (somewhat) in North America, the French would not buy it, nor would the Italians or the Germans... instead they would (possibly) look more favorably at a .immo.
Ditto for .cars .food .travel .loans.
These possible TLDs are even less appealing when English is not your mother tongue.

All in one I think the state of mind that prevails in this thread is definitely US-centric.

You are actually terribly wrong about some of the TLDs. You need to realize that some TLDs such as .museum have been released for a purpose and they exist to serve a specific community. TLDs such as .cat and .museum have been a success for their function and are not for domainers, so I see how you might not see value in them since you can't sell them. Just because there is no financial incentives for some TLDs it does not mean that they are not useful. The country codes such as .de and co.uk are used overwhelmingly in Germany and the UK. Where is .com in those countries? It is rarely used. I have spoken to many small registries which are very happy with their numbers. They do not care about proving that they are better than other TLDs. You look at .fm or .tv. Are those busts too? Thousands of companies use them successfully, including big brands.

So in your opinion .com is king, geographic extensions are great, but generic TLDs are bust because you are looking at past failures of perhaps .biz (which means .com), .info (which again is too generic) and .mobi (no apparent advantage because browsers can identify mobile sites without .mobi). We can go into why .travel has not kicked butt but I assure you it has less to do with the TLD than the management team or execution of the extension.

You look at .us. Neustar has done a terrible job. 80% of their business is NOT in domains, so they do not worry much. Just like any business, there needs to be a leadership team that will do a great job delivering the product in the right way. So do you think .org is a failure? The .org extension run by PIR has been a great success and surprisingly enough they are a non-profit (and yes the salaries are very high there). They are an example of an excellent generic run by an excellent team (plus was grandfathered in with .com and .net which helped). The difference is .org means something to consumers while .info, .biz, .web, .net and others do not mean anything.

By the way, did I mention IDN gTLDs for .music in other languages? If you read the ICANN transcripts it is one issue I have been fighting for too. The problem is that the cost associated with an IDN is the same as a gTLD. Do the math and makes minimal sense financially with the current ICANN plan. It would be difficult to recover the monies or even break even. Note that the IDN ccTLD that were just released to countries only attached a $25k tag to them. For an IDN gTLD it would be a whopping $185k. Oh yea did I mention the set-up fees and marketing etc. That is extra. There is a problem at ICANN which needs to be addressed and I do believe they are overcharging for processing the same application twice/three times without it being necessary if the IDN version is the same as the Latin TLD string. I do agree with Ms Domainer. English is the primary language globally.

In regards to the .food fiasco, I do know the guys from Minds and Machines and this type of problems occur when you target celebrities with big egos. I am not convinced someone like Shaq can effectively run a .basketball because in the grand scheme of things running a registry has nothing to do with shooting a ball through a hoop. Same with the food business. I believe it is different with music because most music is consumed on a computer/mobile device and most of the musicians use the Internet as their primary distribution method. Food is delivered at a restaurant and is not digital. I believe in a few new TLDs to be launched and I share the opinion that many new TLDs will probably be ineffective. However I can not be the judge of this. I always say give people a chance to prove others wrong. You will be surprised in many cases. You will see some value coming out of some of the new extensions and new innovation that you never thought of. But I agree with most. The 80/20 Pareto rule will hold true. Most will be left in obscurity. I do like the 20% bringing value and innovation though.

 

[Kate]

You are actually terribly wrong about some of the TLDs. You need to realize that some TLDs such as .museum have been released for a purpose and they exist to serve a specific community. TLDs such as .cat and .museum have been a success for their function and are not for domainers, so I see how you might not see value in them since you can't sell them. Just because there is no financial incentives for some TLDs it does not mean that they are not useful.

Actually I try not to reason as a domainer.
The majority of new extensions have flopped because there is a lack of substantial demand from end users. If you look at .mobi or .tel for example the number of registrations is artificially driven up by domainers aka speculators. The end users are the ones to convince, not the domain investors.

Okay .cat seems to be doing fine in its own niche but .museum has a total of approx. 600 regs. A full-blown registry to handle 600 domains ? If you don't think this is a flop, I have to wonder.

Back to your business model, I think there are quite a number of uncertainties lying around. End users will think twice before they base their businesses upon unregulated or otherwise 'unpredictable' TLDs.

Plus, the $64,000 question remains: what do the new TLDs have brought that existing TLDs couldn't ? IMO: confusion.
So yeah I must be conservative.

 

[DomainTalker]

If we extrapolate the future - as a straight line from the past - we'll miss every turning point in history...


None of us know if you will win the .music extension, Costa - Nor, if you do, whether you will be able to make your ideas work. But, your thinking is big. Its bold. It could break moulds. And, if you get it right, your work could open a new frontier on the internet, and, re-make the way we, and music-makers, interact in the market for music.

If you get rich(er) by doing it. Good on you, I say!


The world's full of sceptics, denyers, naysayers, doomsayers, and dammers-with-faint-praise, whenever anyone comes out and says they want to do something different...

...Even mighty IBM's myopia & scepticsm nearly sent it broke in the early 1980's because it couldn't see why anyone would want to own a PC...


They say a prophet is not welcome in his own country - In fact, prophets are rarely warmly welcomed anywhere.


Ignore it all....


So, good luck to you, mate...Take that imagination, and fly with it...I'll warrant an awful lot of people will be very interested to see how it goes.

.

 

[dotmusic]

Actually I try not to reason as a domainer.
The majority of new extensions have flopped because there is a lack of substantial demand from end users. If you look at .mobi or .tel for example the number of registrations is artificially driven up by domainers aka speculators. The end users are the ones to convince, not the domain investors.

Okay .cat seems to be doing fine in its own niche but .museum has a total of approx. 600 regs. A full-blown registry to handle 600 domains ? If you don't think this is a flop, I have to wonder.

Back to your business model, I think there are quite a number of uncertainties lying around. End users will think twice before they base their businesses upon unregulated or otherwise 'unpredictable' TLDs.

Plus, the $64,000 question remains: what do the new TLDs have brought that existing TLDs couldn't ? IMO: confusion.
So yeah I must be conservative.

OK I will just make one point and lay this to rest. Let us tackle the issue of confusion. Let us say there is a guy called John Smith. The John Smith decides to buy JohnSmith.com

Answer me this: Who is John Smith and what does he do? Is he a blogger? A photographer? A domainer? An entrepreneur? An actor? An car salesman? Who is John Smith and what does he do? Confused huh? I guess you'd have to click over to his website to figure out what he does.

So now, let us talk about your theory of confusion. John Smith now owns "JohnSmith.music" . Answer me this question: What does John Smith do?

I am sorry man but ask a 5 year old this question and the 5-year old will tell you John Smith is related to music or is a musician. It does not take a genius to figure this out. So where is the confusion? I just used an example where .com actually confuses given its "general" nature. So how does .music confuse in this case?

We can go on and on with this. Again, I disagree with your theory and so would a 5-year old. So would consumers be confused that a .music domain would be about anything else but music?

In regards to the .museum again you are talking about numbers. The TLD serves a purpose and is not a numbers game. It servers reputable museums and we do not have millions of them. If you would like to talk confusing extensions, it is the overly generic ones such as .info that serve no purpose. While you hate .mobi, it does serve a purpose: the mobile web. Same with .org: it serves non-profit organizations. There is no confusion if the extension makes it easier for people to understand what the site is about without even having to visit the site.

Is the real argument here: johnsmithmusic.com vs. johnsmith.music ?

I think it obvious just by looking at these which one makes more sense. We can also talk about URL shorteners too and the propensity to think domains that are shorter are worth more.

So let me ask that question again. How does .music create confusion to 5-year olds and .com does not? How is .com a better alternative? I assure you its not for more than just the reason I pointed out which is the most obvious.

I will throw a technical SEO reason too:

JohnSmith.music vs JohnSmith.com

Which one would have better chances to rank higher for music-related terms? If you understand natural link strategy for SEO purposes, you have to think about how others would link to you. In most cases, 3rd parties link to you as your URL. The ".com" is not a keyword while the ".music" is a keyword. I know SEO marketers have been paying people to link to them using the exact phrase that they want WITH the keyword. Domaining is all about keywords right? That is why one word generics are easier to rank higher in search results for those specific terms.

I will rest my case trying to persuade the value of a .music and new TLDs but I would like to know if I am wrong about how 3rd parties naturally link to websites as well as creating confusion with .music.

 

[Jaco]

I will throw a technical SEO reason too:

JohnSmith.music vs JohnSmith.com

Which one would have better chances to rank higher for music-related terms? If you understand natural link strategy for SEO purposes, you have to think about how others would link to you. In most cases, 3rd parties link to you as your URL. The ".com" is not a keyword while the ".music" is a keyword. I know SEO marketers have been paying people to link to them using the exact phrase that they want WITH the keyword. Domaining is all about keywords right?
.

No matter where one comes down on new TLDs, this is true.
None of us know exactly how the G algo works, but I do find it interesting that it bolds ".info" as being search query relevant, when "info" is used as a search word in the string.

For example, type in "Germany" and there's an .info on P1 (largely because it's an official website). Relevance-bolded will be "Germany"

Now, type in Germany+info and look at Germany.info.
Relevance bolded will be "Germany" plus the ".info" TLD itself, plus a semantically related relevance bold for the word "Information".

It's entirely possible (and pretty likely) that developing out "JohnSmith.music" would weigh very heavily for search strings involving "John+Smith+Music". SInce "music" is a very common search string suffix for artists and music, a custom TLD could play a role in those searches.

Obviously, a .music TLD would allow G to arbitrate "music related" rankings quite simply, presuming that the TLD maintained some sort of standard.

That is why one word generics are easier to rank higher in search results for those specific terms.

Uh, certainlly not since the introduction of Caffeine- if that was ever true at all...

Development, content and BLs are the diamond encrusted platinum standard, but as far as the domain goes, exact match for search string is overweighted.

By domain alone, I don't think there's any compelling evidence that suggests "Widgets.com" is more likely to outrank "WidgetsForSale.com" amongst searchers querying Widgets+For+Sale, presuming generally equal development schemes, soak times, BLs and content quality. "Widgets.com" is probably going to rank higher for people searching "Widgets" alone and there are probably a lot more people searching "Widgets" by itself, so the more generic, broadly defining term is going to be the more valuable domain name, but I don't think Google gives a "one word generic term" boost for people searching relevant, longer-tail strings. It may appear that way since one word, generic names are usually the much older ones and more apt to be heavily developed, but I don't think that to be the case, algorithmically. If there are smart people out there who disagree with me, I'd love to hear their take.

 

[Kate]

In regards to the .museum again you are talking about numbers. The TLD serves a purpose and is not a numbers game. It servers reputable museums and we do not have millions of them.

Sorry but I have to ask if you have ever visited a .museum in your whole surfing life, of if you know somebody who has.
I have often spoken about 'critical mass' in domain names, and I think that in a certain way the numbers do matter. There is no point in building cathedrals in the middle of the desert.

Which one would have better chances to rank higher for music-related terms? If you understand natural link strategy for SEO purposes, you have to think about how others would link to you.
I will rest my case trying to persuade the value of a .music and new TLDs but I would like to know if I am wrong about how 3rd parties naturally link to websites as well as creating confusion with .music.

The *possible* SEO benefits might exist but they have not been proven.
Anyway, SEO is not a justification for creating all sorts of awkward TLDs.
Plus, SEO is not a static thing, for instance some search engines put more emphasis on the URL than others but the rules of the game will certainly be different in a few years.

Now back to the topic I note that industry-specific TLDs such as:
.coop .aero .museum .travel
have never been popular. While I think .music has the potential to perform better (with adequate marketing).
I think the biggest issue is with .music being some kind of semi-regulated TLD (if I get this right), people usually don't like TLDs with a lot of restrictions or uncertain governance. Depends where you intend to draw the line.

 

[dotmusic]

Sorry but I have to ask if you have ever visited a .museum in your whole surfing life, of if you know somebody who has.
I have often spoken about 'critical mass' in domain names, and I think that in a certain way the numbers do matter. There is no point in building cathedrals in the middle of the desert.



The *possible* SEO benefits might exist but they have not been proven.
Anyway, SEO is not a justification for creating all sorts of awkward TLDs.
Plus, SEO is not a static thing, for instance some search engines put more emphasis on the URL than others but the rules of the game will certainly be different in a few years.

Now back to the topic I note that industry-specific TLDs such as:
.coop .aero .museum .travel
have never been popular. While I think .music has the potential to perform better (with adequate marketing).
I think the biggest issue is with .music being some kind of semi-regulated TLD (if I get this right), people usually don't like TLDs with a lot of restrictions or uncertain governance. Depends where you intend to draw the line.

I always am a firm believer of strategy and execution. The truth be told, execution of a TLD in the last 10 years has been nothing but predictable and lacking any innovation. Neustar may argue that .tel had innovation for the DNS but for regular users a static domain makes no sense.

The sample size has been small thus far in regards to TLDs. Most are not even offered by top registrars such as Godaddy, so they are missing shelfspace. So yes, I agree marketing, awareness and industry-wide use will be one of the determining factors.

 

[Domainace]

I just rediscovered this thread after reading the initial post, downloading the interview at Mixergy, and finally listening to it yesterday.

I'm a musician as well.. and that's always where my heart has been. Constantine, I found that interview very valuable, and your ideas very inspiring. It's a heck of a big dream (is there any other kind) but I would guess you have a good shot at pulling it off. Too many people are knocking the tld, but as I understand it it's simply a part of a grand plan. It's the first time I have heard a plan for the use of a new tld that makes sense. Best of luck.

 

[Archangel]

I could but I'm not interested.

If this guy will actually TRY on this endeavor, then hats off to him. (I made a nice long post in here a few days back but NP didn't post it & when I clicked back on the browser, the post was deleted. So I decided to not retype it lol)

Perhaps you can send him your domain/website portfilio to show him some examples of how to be successful online.

Why should he WALK AWAY from business? Instead he could put his $100,000 with your $100,000 and you partner on a plan that doesn't have so many holes. He seems pretty open to investing money and if you know better ways to spend 100k I am sure he would be open to your guidance.
It is a great chance to take advantage of someone's inexperience and poor decision making while using their financial contribution to make further income.

 

[dotmusic]

I just rediscovered this thread after reading the initial post, downloading the interview at Mixergy, and finally listening to it yesterday.

I'm a musician as well.. and that's always where my heart has been. Constantine, I found that interview very valuable, and your ideas very inspiring. It's a heck of a big dream (is there any other kind) but I would guess you have a good shot at pulling it off. Too many people are knocking the tld, but as I understand it it's simply a part of a grand plan. It's the first time I have heard a plan for the use of a new tld that makes sense. Best of luck.

Thanks for the support! Glad I can be inspiring. In any business there will be critics. Some people just do not want you to succeed, especially if you might be changing the landscape and increase competition. I look forward to getting things executed. Rock on!

 

[Archangel]

Many businesses fail because the owners don't put in as much effort as needed. It seems that you're not pussyfooting around this. You're taking the bull by the horns. Passiveness can kill a business even right after it launches. But if you truly put effort into this, then it has a fighting chance to succeed. And considering your investment is more than just about any member of this forum had ever possessed at any point in their lives lol you just might make it. I am skeptical about how big it'll be but if it works out the way you intend, wello, that's the important thing.

Thanks for the support! Glad I can be inspiring. In any business there will be critics. Some people just do not want you to succeed, especially if you might be changing the landscape and increase competition. I look forward to getting things executed. Rock on!

 

[digital29]

Nice concept and ideas...the guy really had some courage...I think many people would just laugh at him at first...but then everything changed

 

[dotmusic]

Many businesses fail because the owners don't put in as much effort as needed. It seems that you're not pussyfooting around this. You're taking the bull by the horns. Passiveness can kill a business even right after it launches. But if you truly put effort into this, then it has a fighting chance to succeed. And considering your investment is more than just about any member of this forum had ever possessed at any point in their lives lol you just might make it. I am skeptical about how big it'll be but if it works out the way you intend, wello, that's the important thing.

I think you are spot on. Passiveness will not get the industry on board to create an industry standard. This is where .travel failed and other new TLDs will fail too. I am by far the most active in the TLD space in taking this approach. The investment includes 5 years of development, time and lobbying. If it was just cash, then that would be simpler. Unfortunately the politics within both the ICANN community and music industry is a bit of a nightmare. All the outreach efforts of communication have been made though and pressing on those to get things the way they should be with multi-stakeholder governance. This problem again is again. They are working towards a one-size fits all model that is worrying in my opinion.

---------- Post added at 09:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:15 AM ----------

Nice concept and ideas...the guy really had some courage...I think many people would just laugh at him at first...but then everything changed

Things did change with the leverage of social media. Would not be the same with all the millions that have supported my .music initiative. I think the failure of other TLDs has been the inability to connect the TLD with the corresponding industry players and true independents. When you have an army of nearly one and a half signatures and emails as well as one of the largest social profiles on the Internet of 4 million, then it becomes a different ball game. I did start from zero though. I had 2 choices. One was to hide and just work on launching .music without any outreach efforts of communication or support or go full-throttle and go all out.

Know your customer, talk to your customer and find out what they need and deliver it to them. That was what was on the back on my mind. You can not include all stakeholders in the music industry without maximizing the exposure, attending all the significant industry conferences and letting everyone know the value added and how creating a true industry standard can help the overall music industry. Recent research showed that users spend more time consuming, listening and watching on band/artist websites than on aggregator websites such as Youtube and Vevo. They also enjoy better conversions too. need I say more?

 

[DnEbook]

i think if you can achieve this your branding is built in and you would get plenty of free 'news time' but having said that i read here at namepros .canon may be appearing ? have you heard anything on that ???

I think the benefits of being one of the first gtlds is that you will be talked about and thus recouping your outlay via free advertising talk

Although i am aware .music concept would be vastly different to .canon concept but being one of the first will make waves and be discussed for sure

 

[dotmusic]

i think if you can achieve this your branding is built in and you would get plenty of free 'news time' but having said that i read here at namepros .canon may be appearing ? have you heard anything on that ???

I think the benefits of being one of the first gtlds is that you will be talked about and thus recouping your outlay via free advertising talk

Although i am aware .music concept would be vastly different to .canon concept but being one of the first will make waves and be discussed for sure

Well the new TLDs will probably all be released at the same time by ICANN, so being first does not play a role. However, the ones that will have traction will be the ones that will ultimately be used by their corresponding users and industry. Failure of this will result in what most new TLD haters have expressed. I have worked on the pre-launch quite extensively and the goal has been to outreach to the music community and get them involved as much as possible and have a voice in the process. So being first in that respect has been very good for .music. Some other initiatives have had some traction such as .canon, .vegas, .xxx, .eco and the .food, however not for the same reasons. We will have to wait and see how things pan out.

 

[bmugford]

Just a quick question to dotmusic -

Why do you think you will be assigned .Music?

There will be endless parties interested in controlling an extension like that. Parties with big pockets and influence.

There is no real indication of how these extensions with competition will even be assigned. I can see the legal challenges in high demand extensions dragging on for years.

Brad

 

[gewealth]

That is a good and insightful video. I like that mixergy site as the guy digs deep at these successful people.

 

[Soofi]

he's looking at something we all arnt!! isnt it?

 

[adinfinite]

Just came across this article and would love for dotmobi or any other .mobi owners/fans to chime in.

.mobi article in Miami Herald