Domain Name Wire Podcast

The domain name industry converged in Miami last week for NamesCon. It's the first time the show has been held in Miami. Held in conjunction with CloudFest, the event attracted nearly 1,000 people.

On today's podcast, you'll hear from 16 people at the show. I recorded these on the exhibit hall floor, so I apologize in advance for the background noise.

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Squarespace is one of the biggest domain name registrars in the world after acquiring Google's domain name business. On today's show I'm joined by Kevin Doerr, who oversees the company's domain business.

We talk about Squarespace's new reseller API, why the company joined Internet Commerce Association, how Squarespace serves different types of customers, and discuss how AI will impact the domain business.

Also: Aftermarket boom, domain travel schedule, registry lock and more.

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There's been a lot more noise lately about web3 and how blockchain can be applied to domain names. Domain investor Shane Cultra is well-versed in this intersection, so I asked him to come on the show to separate hype versus reality and where he thinks the market is going.

Shane also talks about his domain investing activity and the challenges of launching new businesses.

Mentioned on the show: Beehouse, Botany.com, DSAD

Also: Verisign earnings, new top level domains and more.

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We're over three-quarters of the way through 2025, so this week on the podcast I'm going to talk about my sales results thus far. I'll share how many domains I've sold, where I've sold them, where I acquired them, my hold times, and much more.

Also: New SnapNames option, new premium domain marketplace, interesting cybersquatting cases and more.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

My guest this week is Robbie Birkner, who has spent the better part of the last 25 years in the domain industry. He is now CEO North America of OpusDNS, a new domain reseller platform.

Birkner explains why companies choose to use a reseller platform, how these platforms have evolved over the years, and why he thinks the market is ready for new competition.

Also: Supreme Court pitch, a splasy Prosecco fight, and more

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Corporate domain name registrar and brand protection company Com Laude announced two acquisitions in two weeks. First, it acquired FairWinds Partners, a consultancy for brand owners that helped companies apply for 133 domains in the last round of TLD expansion. Then, it announced the pending acquisition of Markmonitor, the largest corporate domain name registrar.

On today's show, Com Laude CEO Ben Crawford explains why the company made these acquisitions, and what he expects with dot-brands in next year's new TLD round.

Also: Price hikes, Porkbun's milestone, RDNH, and Squarespace

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David Ciccarelli knows the power of a great domain. He experienced it firsthand when he rebranded his prior company to a one-word .com. So when he launched his newest venture, a vacation rental business, he knew he needed a great domain.

He bought Lake.com from Dolby for over $1 million to jumpstart the business, and he's already reaping the benefits of the instant credibility the domain gives his company.

Learn more about his story and how he acquired the domain on this week's show.

Also: Markmonitor sold again, Trademarkia lawsuit update, AdSense (not) for Domains, and more.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

One of the most popular blockchain-based naming platforms has been Ethereum Name Service, which offers both an alt-root .eth domain extension and integrations with the DNS.

On today's show, ENS Labs' Head of Growth, James Beck, joins me to discuss the latest with ENS. We talk about the organization's delegation of .locker, how blockchain-based naming systems are adopting DNS, and how the group is thinking about the next round of top level domain expansion.

Also: Atom sued, Com Laude's acquisition, and more.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

Every domain investor has an original story, and Michael Rader is no different. On today's show, hear about how he was working at the DMV and learning web development when he took an interest in domain names.

When he sold a domain at BrandBucket, he used the funds to create Brandroot, which he ended up selling to BrandBucket many years later.

After a hiatus from buying new domains, Michael registered 1,800 domains over the past few months. Learn more about how he approaches domain investing in this episode's interview.

Also: Namecheap being acquired, phishy TLDs, and more.

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

My guests on this week's podcast know what makes a great name.

Maria Cypher and Laurel Sutton are co-founders of naming agency Catchword. They named VW's Atlas, freelance site Upwork, and tech company Asana. They've also done naming projects for Tiktok, The Home Depot, and Starbucks.

Oh, and they are accidental domain investors. On today's show, they explain how they started registering domains and the success they are having selling them, such as Feastables.com to Mr. Beast.

It's a fascinating story.

Also: Team Internet layoffs, Sedo earnings, big .xyz sale and more.

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders