New top-level domains will change the way we navigate.

You know that domain that you want?...well, it's taken. At least the .com version of it anyway. What else is there, unless you want to be a .org, or carry the patriotic flag of your country as in .de (Germany) or .uk (United Kingdom)?

It's true, soon anyone will be able to register and buy any top-level domain. Top-level being the 'thing' after the 'period', as in .'com'. But it ain't cheap. At almost $200k, top-level or root domain's are not like buying URL's already associated with a .com. In other words, it's not for you and me - but meant for companies, industry verticals, causes, political parties, countries, cities, or even towns that can afford it. Big brands like Canon Cameras are already in line to purchase .Canon.

Does all this really matter? Yes - in a big way. My guess is that as this is adopted, more and more folks will align with a common navigation, much in the same way that desktop applications follow the same menu options. Let me explain. Lets say a brand like Nike bought .Nike. Rather than having to go to the homepage to find out how to find information on its officers, products or careers, you will most likely just be able to type in officers.nike, products.nike or careers.nike - something that is impossible to do today because we do not know the web-directory structure that the company uses. Companies also do not follow a common directory structure as directories are often based upon navigation and slaves to .com. Even more importantly most folks are not used to thinking that way...this will change.

This change will make things simpler for everyone to start using a common language - much like the menus across most applications. You could of course always navigate to the homepage to find what it is you are looking for, or just Google it. But chances are, since companies will now control the root, along with related re-directs, that you will be able to easily navigate directly to your general area of interest as we all start to use similar terminology and naming conventions.

Google may not be happy about that.

9 Things You Need to Know About ICANN’s New Top Level Domains

ICANN Approves Expansion of Generic Top-Level Domains

Are We Ready for the Era of .Anything?

Brand name Top Level Domains coming

Posted via email from Jared Hendler

Spotify positioned to compete directly with Apple and Pandora in music.

With its new funding round, Spotify will compete directly with Apple and Pandora. In my last post, I purposefully did not mention Spotify as they were not available in the U.S. market, nor did they have the funding to compete - but now they do. Apple will have their hands full once Spotify and Pandora ramp things up in the next 6 months.

There is no doubt that the future of music will be subscription vs. ownership. One could argue that Apple really doesn't care about 'owning' access to music via iTunes and that it only created this marketplace in order for them to sell more hardware. Amazon is the one most vulnerable, as it does not own a player nor the hardware. Either way, the economics of the music business will continue to shift in a very big way.

Spotify, Gearing Up For U.S. Launch, Closes Its $1 Billion Round

 

Posted via email from Jared Hendler

In music-Apple's competition is not Google or Amazon-it's Pandora!

All of you Apple fans who have been clammering for subscription to come to iTunes, that's what Pandora is, and more...especially if you are looking for the social sharing promised by Apple's Ping.

The future of music is not ownership, it's subscription. That's what the cloud is for - not to store a copy of all the music you already own for access elsewhere, but it's a cute & expensive idea. Apple cannot have missed that, but I'm not sure that the data-center approach Apple has taken is the right strategy. Pandora, with it's peer-to-peer model, may win the war. It certainly is much farther ahead of Apple, especially with it's streamed licensing arrangements with the big music labels. When the labels figure it out, their fees will plummet as they race to prop up a true Apple competitor.

Pandora's IPO could not be better timed. The liquidity that an IPO brings will give Pandora much deeper pockets to compete in this arena.

Let the games begin.

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Written with Essay on iPad

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Jared Hendler

O: +1-212-704-9727

M: +1-917-754-9520

F: +1-212-704-0917

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For the sake of the environment, please think before you print. Thank you.

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Posted via email from Jared Hendler