.sound
Is .sound a real TLD? Who’s applying to run it?
.sound is not contested. One application for it is on ICANN’s Reveal Day list, as of 8 October 2026. It is Name Space. Identity Digital named .sound as a backup string for four of its applications: .list, .get, .fest and .era. ICANN deactivated those backups, because another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup. XYZ named .sound as a backup string for its .cosmetics application. ICANN deactivated it, because another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup.
A pleasant word for music and audio projects, but most serious ones will still choose .fm, .audio or .com over it.
musicians, audio engineers, sound-design studios, podcast and music-tech startups wanting an audio-flavored name; secondarily brands playing on "sound" as in reliable
One of 10 strings Name Space LLC (led by Gerardo Aristizabal, who won .blog in the 2012 round) applied for in the ICANN 2026 round, reported by Domain Name Wire on 2026-08-18.
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .era application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .cosmetics application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .fest application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .get application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
Named on the ICANN gTLD application list, 7 October 2026 as a replacement (backup) string of the applicant's .list application, shown as deactivated: another applicant applied for the same string or named it as a backup
The 2012 applications making the most similar bet. Chosen by AI from every string in that round, without being told what happened to any of them.
Essentially the same bet in the same vertical: an ungated generic mass noun for a sensory/media category, monetized by selling category identity to audio gear makers, studios, engineers and creators, with no community or brand claim to defend.
The same play of putting a broad industry-category noun on sale as primary identity for artists, labels and services, differing only in that it names the industry head-on while the target names the medium.
Structurally the identical wager — a one-word generic media mass noun whose value depends on creators and platforms treating the medium itself as a brandable namespace — just aimed at the other sensory modality and a larger buyer pool.
What a .sound domain is
.sound is not a TLD yet. It is a string on our record of the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round, filed under Culture. One application for it is on ICANN’s Reveal Day list.
Is the .sound domain extension real yet?
.sound is not yet a domain extension you can register: nothing resolves under it, and no registrar sells names in it. It is a string applicants have put forward in the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round, the process that decides whether it becomes one.
When can you buy a .sound domain?
You can’t yet. A .sound name can only be registered once the string is delegated (added to the DNS root) and its registry opens. Last round's closest parallel to .sound was .audio, delegated on 15 May 2014.
Is .sound a real TLD?
Not yet. .sound is not in the DNS root, so nothing resolves under it. It’s here because .sound is on ICANN’s Reveal Day list of applied-for strings. Every entry on this page links to its source.
“A2619T-T60918 · Berth Order, LLC · replacement string of .era · Deactivated A2619T-T68837 · Berth Order, LLC · replacement string of .fest · Deactivated A2619T-T76756 · Berth Order, LLC · replacement string of .get · Deactivated A2619T-T84675 · Berth Order, LLC · replacement string of .list · Deactivated NSL2674T-T61555 · NAME SPACE LLC · primary XL2625T-T87066 · XYZ.COM LLC · replacement string of .cosmetics · Deactivated”ICANN
“We are thrilled by the opportunity to help expand the domain name space with innovative new alternatives.”Domain Name Wire
- By analogy (flagged as such), the closest precedents are .audio and .fm: .audio has seen registration activity but little sustained primary-identity use among serious audio businesses, while .fm — a repurposed ccTLD — captured much of the podcast/streaming identity demand .sound would need to win. .music, the exact-match string for the biggest sub-market, is a more natural home for musicians, leaving .sound with the residual audio-engineering and sound-design niche plus wordplay brands ('sound advice', 'sound money'). That places it at the top of the 30-49 usable-but-limited band rather than 50-69, because demand is real but thin, the brand signal needs explaining, and an aftermarket is unlikely to be deep; it sits above the 10-29 band because 'sound' is a common, positive English word with genuine end-use fit for a durable creator economy, not a joke or event-driven string. Applicant facts are neutral context only: the applicant group won .blog in partnership with Automattic in the 2012 round, suggesting familiarity with distribution partnerships that could aid adoption. Main market uncertainty: whether the audio/podcast creator segment adopts any new namespace at all, or continues consolidating on .fm and platform-hosted identities.