It’s a wrap! 2019 is winding down, and 2020 is winding up!
Before we spring forward to a new decade, DomainAgents is looking back on the year that has passed and reflecting on big domain name news from 2019. (Click here if you’re interested in reading more about what folks in the domain industry were all abuzz about last year.)
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Domain Sales:
Voice.com
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we realize we’ve mentioned the sale of Voice.com on a number of occasions, however, a big sale like this is worth repeating.
Voice.com sold for $30,000,000 on 6/19/19, again demonstrating the value of single, English dictionary word .com domain names. The digital asset was purchased by Block.one, a self-proclaimed “leader in providing high-performance blockchain solutions”. It appears that a unique social media platform is currently in the works.
If you want to learn more, you may want to check out this video of the GoDaddy AMA, from NamesCon Europe 2019.
Overall, 2019 was a strong year for single word .com domain names, with plenty of noteworthy sales. Interested in more memorable deals? Click here for DomainAgents’ list of top domain sales from the past year.
Policy & Law:
.Com Price Hikes
In 2018, it was announced that that Verisign would be allowed to hike prices of .com domain names by 7%. Unsurprisingly, domainers had plenty to say on the topic. This year, domainers took action, kicking off petitions to fight the increase and empowering the community by showing what this would mean for the everyday person and how we can all participate.
.Org Price Hikes, Controversy, and Updates
Not too long after the news broke that .com’s were headed for a price hike, it was revealed that .org domains were going down the same path.
There was plenty of pushback from the domain industry, especially when in November, it was announced that private equity company Ethos Capital bought Public Interest Registry (PIR), the .org registry from Internet Society (ISOC). There has been a delay in the acquisition, however, the timing was still originally considered suspicious by many, as this came about shortly after ICANN lifted price caps on .org domains.
Events:
NamesCon Global
NamesCon 2020 is just around the corner! It will be set in Austin, Texas for the first time, from January 29 – February 1, 2020. This global event will be held in a new location this year, and organizers have their fingers crossed that taking the event outside of Las Vegas will bring about a new focus as the industry evolves.
In 2019, DomainAgents was recognized as one of the Masters of Domains by Escrow.com, in honour of being one of the top 5 brokers from the previous year.
We look forward to seeing how things pan out in Austin, and are very excited for the new opportunities this year’s event will bring!
1st Asheville Domain Investor Meetup
Rick Schwartz hosted his very own 1st Asheville Domain Investor Meetup where domain investors gathered in Asheville, North Carolina from August 1st-3rd.
The agenda consisted of attendees sharing their visions and talking domain names, all under the theme of “Acceleration” and more specifically, how they “accelerate the use and understanding of Domain names”, based on Rick’s post.
The event appeared to run smoothly and Schwartz received praise regarding the timing, venue, and format. These are good indicators that there may be another meetup coming somewhere down the line!
We at DomainAgents want to say Happy Holidays to all of you, our valued readers & clients! We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to help thousands of domain name buyers & sellers, and wish everyone a Happy 2020!
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