New Domain Name Leasing Marketplace Just for Apps
Month after month, I tirelessly search and peruse the Internet for digital strategy topics to create new or update existing article, tutorial, video, and podcast content.
While performing keyword research for an upcoming article and possible podcast, I stumbled upon an interesting search result pertaining to a new domain name leasing marketplace just for apps.
What caught my attention the most about the search result was the fact that it donned a .APP domain.
I’m not certain of the persons or leadership behind Branded.app — whois domain contact information is redacted, yet Branded.app lists A-Frame Labs LLC as its parent company. Another quick search reveals Morgan Bender lists himself as owner of the San Francisco-based A-Frame Labs, LLC.
As for the .APP domain market, there are just over 325,000 .APP domain registrations in the last 6 months and counting due to the great Google’s backing, visibility, and promotion of .APP.
With over 7 million apps in spread across the growing ecosystems of Google Play, Apple, Windows, Amazon and Blackberry stores, there are many domain investors speculating .APP extension to be the next big digital land grab.
While NameBio touts nearly $45K in .APP domain sales, I’ve not heard or discovered many .APP domains being sold. This doesn’t mean that .APP domain sales aren’t happening, rather .APP domain sales are likely not being publicly reported.
Nevertheless, I was intrigued to discover Branded.app and its domain leasing offering for most of its one-word .APP domains.
Of course, domain leasing is nothing new under the sun as there are countless numbers of domain lease companies touting various business models for securing domains across a wide range of domain extensions.
Some have tasted a bit of profitable, yet there are many more (remember Rick Schwartz’s JointVentures.com circa 2013?) than have been mere flashes in pan.
No sooner than they announced doors were open, a somber announcement, if anything mentioned at all, of their closure followed. But hey, hats off to Rick for attempting and being transparent in his journey.
While I wish Branded.app much success in achieving leases for their listed top names and recently added names, I have a suspicion pricing modifications are likely to occur — likely to the tune of knocking off 1 or 2 zeros to the left of the of the decimal to really be a viable domain lease option.
Will Branded.app and its leasing .APP domains thrive to become a profitable success? What do you think?
