LIAK, Sound Republica to launch '.music' domain in Korea

Local singers, music creators and music companies will soon have access to the exclusive ".music" domain.

An image of the site. [DOTMUSIC, RECORD LABEL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF KOREA, SOUND REPUBLUCA]

Local singers, music creators and music companies will soon have access to the exclusive ".music" domain.

The Record Label Industry Association of Korea (LIAK) and the global music agency Sound Republica on Friday announced their partnership with DotMusic to launch the ".music" domain service in the country.

DotMusic — the official registry for the ".music" domain — holds exclusive rights from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to issue the domain.

Registrations for the ".music" domain service will begin on Oct. 8, aligning with the global launch date, and can be completed through LIAK and Sound Republica. Those who sign up during the pre-launch event, which runs until Sep. 10, will receive the first year of domain usage free of charge, a $70 value.

The ".music" domain is reserved exclusively for those in the music industry, including musicians, bands and agencies, and requires a verification process, according to LIAK.

Popular artists such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, along with music services like Spotify, have already confirmed their use of the domain prior to its official launch, according to LIAK and Sound Republica.

“A foundation for musicians and music-related professionals worldwide to collaborate has been established,” said the head of LIAK, predicting that "the service will accelerate the international expansion of various Korean music genres."

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]