.club

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.club
.CLUB English logo.png
Introduced May 7, 2014
(general public)
TLD type Generic top-level domain (gTLD)
Status Active
Registry .Club Domains, LLC
Website get.club

.club, often stylized as .CLUB and sometimes dot-club,[1] is a top-level domain (TLD). It was proposed in ICANN's new generic top-level domain (gTLD) program, and became available to the general public on May 7, 2014. .Club Domains, LLC is the domain name registry for the string. In August 2014, .club became the first new gTLD to pass the 100,000 domain threshold, excluding those distributed at no cost. The extension surpassed the 200,000 domain threshold in April 2015. Prominent individuals using .club include 50 Cent, Tyler Johnson, and Virat Kohli. CLUB is also used by prominent celebrities in China including Wang Qiang and Jay Chou[citation needed].

Acquisition and promotion

Colin Campbell, CEO of .Club Domains, LLC

In June 2013, .Club Domains, LLC acquired the .club gTLD through a private auction after raising $7 million from 27 individual investors. Colin Campbell, the company's chief executive officer, declined to reveal the final auction price, citing confidentiality agreements.[2] club was the first new gTLD acquired via private auction. Unsuccessful applicants competing for the gTLD were Donuts and the Merchant Law Group LLP.[3] Following acquisition, Campbell envisioned an early 2014 launch, supported by a five-fold expansion of the company in multiple offices worldwide. In an interview with Domain Name Wire, he confirmed, "We've raised $7 million to acquire the rights to the name and to launch the name. You could obviously run a registry for a lot less, but we like to do things in a big way. I can't say how happy and excited the staff here are [about winning the auction]."[2] He further shared his enthusiasm and future plans with The Domains, saying: "We are thrilled to have won the first gTLD private auction and now be in a position to ensure that .club is one of the first new generic domain names to come to market worldwide. We believe that very few new domain names carry the inherent marketing message and global recognition that the name 'club' represents. What .com has done for companies, .club will do for membership organizations of all sizes."[3]

The TLD became available to general public on May 7, 2014.[4] Club Domains offered a free domain to all 2015 LAUNCH Hackathon participants and awarded a $10,000 prize for the best project in the extension.[5] On July 1, 2015, around 8,000 premium .club domains became available for purchase through registrars at nine premium levels ranging from $100 to $10,000.[6]

Success

In August 2014, .club became the first new gTLD to pass the 100,000 domain threshold, excluding those distributed at no cost (.berlin and .xyz), having grown by 250 to 300 names per day for 114 days.[4] In August 2015, .Club Domain reported a 75% day one renewal rate, which was better than anticipated, but did not report subsequent renewal rates. Campbell said, "We strongly believe in the domain investor community who can support .club by getting these names placed (albeit at higher prices) in the hands of prospective customers. We had the option to claim every name and put them into our registry reserved but decided to offer them up on the drop at SnapNames upon expiry as an alternative."[7] In January 2015, The Register called .club "the king of the new generic top-level domains ... thanks to focused and extensive marketing aided by the fact that 'club' is a good and instantly understandable word".[1] By then, more than 165,000 .club had been registered, including several premium names: coffee.club and vegas.club, for example, were reported to have been sold for $100,000 each,[8][9] and wine.club sold at NamesCon for $140,000 - though both vegas.club and wine.club are apparently unused and still show holding pages as of April 2016[1] CLUB has been very active in China, where more than 55,000 CLUB domains have been registered.[10]

In December 2014, a round of funding valued .Club Domains at $25.4 million.[11] In March 2015, Domain Name Wire survey participants named .club their favorite new TLD name.[12] By April 2015, less than one year after launching, more than 200,000 .club domains had been registered, further solidifying its status as the most popular new domain extension introduced to date.[13][14] Sun-Sentinel reported that the company has raised more than $11 million. Even though .Club Domains has been operating at a loss as it grows, the company earned $2.1 million in revenues in 2014 and projects an increase to $2.7 million in 2015. As of April, the company employs sixteen people at its headquarters in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[13]

According to The Domains, "Those now using a web address ending in .club include brands, celebrities, sports figures, innovative entrepreneurs and startups, associations, and clubs around the globe... tens of thousands of clubs, business and individuals are actively using a .club address for their web presence, from Rotary Clubs, to school clubs, to passionate bloggers."[15] Prominent individuals using the extension include rapper 50 Cent,[16] professional basketball player Tyler Johnson,[13] and Indian cricket star Virat Kohli.[15]

Campbell has said of the extension's success:

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We knew from the beginning that .club would be a hit, as it has meaning and recognition all over the world, no matter the language, alphabet or culture, it's exciting and amazing to be part of this transformation on the Internet, as more businesses and consumers realize they are still able to get a great domain name that translates into better marketing, better branding and more meaning to the right of the dot. We believe our domain has helped launch more new online businesses in just our first year than any other gTLD, and we believe it will continue this momentum for years to come.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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