In an ambitious promotional campaign, DotMusic, the registry behind the new .music generic top-level domain (gTLD), has announced that it will give away up to one million .music domain names. This offer, aimed at bolstering the presence of music-related entities on the web, is available exclusively to what DotMusic defines as “Music Community Member Organizations,” which includes record labels and similar entities. The promotion is set to run until May 24 or until the cap of one million domains is reached, whichever comes first.
The .music domain is designed as a community gTLD, restricted to entities that have a direct connection to the music industry. Eligible registrants can secure domain names that are exact matches of music performers, professionals, or the organizations they are affiliated with. However, the offer is not without its complexities. The registration process involves multiple layers, including a mandatory identity verification through ID.music, DotMusic’s sister company. This verification comes at a cost of $1.99 per domain during the promotional period.
While the domains themselves are offered at no cost for the first year, the required identity verification fee means that the domains are not entirely free. Nonetheless, this fee is significantly lower than the typical costs associated with domain registration during sunrise periods, which are often used by companies to defensively secure domain names related to their trademarks.
The initiative follows the conclusion of DotMusic’s ICANN-mandated sunrise period, which saw entities like Apple and Amazon securing dozens of domains. With general availability of .music domains set to begin on June 25, this promotion represents a strategic effort by DotMusic to populate the .music namespace with legitimate music-related entities, thereby enhancing the domain’s relevance and utility within the global music community.
This promotional campaign is particularly significant as it seeks to establish .music as a dedicated online space for the music industry, ensuring that domain names are used in a manner that benefits the community it represents. Interested parties are encouraged to act swiftly, given the limited time frame and the potentially high demand for these domains.