.music Domains Are Coming and DotMusic (Not Google) Will Control Them

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has named the DotMusic as the sole provider of the coveted .music domain extension, beating internet giants like Google and Amazon.

.music joins other top level domains like .com, .net and .gov and descriptive domains like .blog and .info. DotMusic founder Constantine Roussos tweeted on Friday that his foundation had been selected as the successful bidder after a decades long battle.

Excited to announce that after more than a decade, DotMusic has prevailed and will be the .MUSIC registry 🙂 https://t.co/XSnCkQVn28 #ICANN #DotMusic #DavidandGoliath #Music #Domains pic.twitter.com/tQX14eYyKu

— Constantine Roussos (@mus) April 11, 2019

DotMusic has promised safeguards that ensure that music artists, bands, industry professionals and organizations register a secure and verified .MUSIC domain — a safe, authenticated domain identity similar to that of a domain ending in .EDU or .GOV — and own their exclusive www.name.music web address.

The .music initiative has been supported by thousands of music-related entities and organizations with members representing over 95% of music globally, including the international bodies representing musicians and featured artists globally, the independent music community, the major labels, the major publishers, major collection societies (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), the Recording Academy and major distributors.

The expected launch for the .music domain is 2020, but you can preregister and get updates here.