Currently, the top-level domain (TLD) “.BEATS” does not exist in the Internet’s Domain Name System. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that oversees and manages the internet’s domain name system, does not list “.BEATS” as a valid TLD.
TLDs are the last part of a domain name. They appear after the final dot in an internet address, for instance, “.com”, “.net”, “.org”, “.edu”, etc. ICANN maintains and administers these domain names for the internet. There are also country-specific TLDs like “.fr” for France, “.uk” for United Kingdom, “.in” for India, etc. At present, ICANN registers nearly 1500 TLDs, and these include generic TLDs such as “.com”, “.info”, “.net”, “.org”, and so on. In recent years they have also introduced a host of new TLDs including “.app”, “.shop”, “.blog” and others.
ICANN also allows organizations to apply for their own brand-specific or organization-specific TLDs. This is intended for organizations that wish to have a unique global internet presence, to protect their brand and reputation, to improve the customer experience, and to provide their customers, members and followers with a recognizable and trusted identifier on the internet.
Organizations are allowed to create a TLD matching their trademark or service mark, or they had to demonstrate legitimate claim to the name they were seeking in connection with their business. Companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft own TLDs that match their trademarks (.google, .amazon, .microsoft). However, the creation of such TLDs is an expensive and complex process involving a $185,000 application fee, yearly costs and a detailed application process.
In the case of “.BEATS”, it was not registered as a TLD by any record label, artist, or music-related company as per the data from the ICANN as of now. Doing so would allow them to have websites such as “www.artistname.beats” or “www.recordlabel.beats”, yet no one seems to have done this. The reasons behind this could vary from the expense and complexities involved in getting a brand-specific TLD, to the companies not seeing enough advantage in having one.
If you’re interested in whether or not a particular TLD is available or who owns a particular TLD, you should reference the ICANN’s TLD registry. This is available online and is constantly updated with the most current information.
Sources used:
1. “ICANN” – https://www.icann.org/
2. “List of Internet top-level domains” – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Internet_top-level_domains
3. “Trademark Clearinghouse” – ICANN – https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/trademark-clearinghouse-2013-04-05-en
4. “New gTLD Program” – ICANN – https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/delegated-strings
5. “Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)” – ICANN – https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/gtlds-2012-02-25-en
