Cyprus-based DotMusic reported that the new gTLD .MUSIC has been finally included in the DNS root. “Finally” because it has taken almost 10 years. During the first stage of the new gTLD program that started back in 2012, .MUSIC was considered one of the most heavily contested domains, with eight applicants in total, Domain Incite recalled.
DotMusic attempted to gain the upper hand by enlisting the support of many prominent musicians and submitting its application as one in the interests of the global music community. However, the strategy did not work, and ICANN lawyers rightly pointed out that there is no such thing as a global music community. That led to years of appeals and disputes resulting in a private auction among competitors. Surprisingly, DotMusic eventually won the rights to manage .MUSIC, prevailing over heavy-hitters like Amazon and Google.
And even after that, it took two more years for the registry to approve its registry agreement and domain management terms with ICANN. The inclusion of .MUSIC in the DNS root is also just a technical start as there is only one domain registered so far, the obligatory nic.music. In its press release, DotMusic said that the full launch and registration are planned for the next year.
