Minds + Machines: New Pricing for Back-End gTLD Registry Services Announced
By Minds Machines, PRNEThursday, June 23, 2011
SINGAPORE, June 24, 2011 -
Minds + Machines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Top Level Domain
Holdings (London AIM, TLDH.L) today announced new pricing for back
end registry services for top-level domains. For a flat fee of
$100,000 a year, the company will provide unlimited registrations
for new TLDs using the Espresso platform, with no per-name fee for
most new TLDs.
“We’ve simplified the model,” said Antony Van Couvering, CEO of
Minds + Machines. “For a simple, low, flat fee, any prospective
applicant can be in the TLD business. Until now, pricing for
registry services has been shrouded in secrecy, and potential
applicants have had to try to decipher convoluted pricing tiers.
The new gTLD program, approved on Monday by ICANN, was meant
to usher in a new era of choice and innovation. Minds +
Machines is proud to kick that off with our offering.”
“ICANN has opened the Internet’s addressing system to the
limitless possibilities of the human imagination,” said Rod
Beckstrom, CEO of ICANN. ”We have provided a platform for
creativity and inspiration, and for the next big dot-thing,” said
Peter Dengate Thrush, Chairman of the Board of ICANN.
“The Minds + Machines flat-rate formula is predictable, simple,
and attractive,” said George T. Bundy, president of BRS Media,
operators of .FM and applicant for .RADIO. “We have been using
their Espresso platform for .FM, and it is reliable, flexible, and
easy to use. Combined with this pricing it’s very
attractive.”
The new Minds + Machines offering excludes certain high-volume
super-generic terms such as .music, and geographic terms such as
.nyc. The new pricing will be extended to existing clients.
In addition, for disadvantaged or needy applicants providing
services to underserved communities, Minds + Machines will offer
the service for a 50% discount.
“Our goal is to increase the number of new gTLDs, and the new
pricing will be a great help. The fact is that many
applicants don’t know how many registrations they will achieve,”
said Van Couvering. ”The better you can predict your costs,
the less risk there is to applying for a new gTLD. An
all-inclusive flat fee will give applicants predictable budgets and
great savings if they hit their numbers.”
About Minds + Machines, href="mindsandmachines.com/">mindsandmachines.com
Minds + Machines is a registry services provider that works
internationally with commercial organisations, cities,
not-for-profits and entrepreneurs to secure and operate new web
domains, known as top-level domains (TLDs). Minds + Machines is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Top Level Domains Holdings, Ltd.
About Top Level Domain Holdings Limited, href="tldh.org/">tldh.org
Top Level Domain Holdings, Ltd. (AIM: TLDH) is a publicly traded
holding company listed on the London AIM market. The company is
focused on the new top-level domain space. Top-level domains, such
as .com, run by VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN), and .biz, run by Neustar
(NYSE: NSR), are regulated by ICANN. ICANN has announced plans to
expand the number of top-level domains. TLDH intends to make
targeted investments in this space, focusing on both infrastructure
technologies and specific top-level domains.
For further information:
Antony Van Couvering
Tel: +1-917-406-7126
gth media relations
Toby Hall / Christian Pickel
Tel: +44(0)20-3103-3903
.
Tags: June 24, Minds + Machines, Singapore