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Music Loving Domain Pioneers Peter Maxymych, Michael Castello & David Castello Back in Spotlight

I've lost track of how many times I've noted that one trait an extraordinary number of successful domain investors and developers have in common is creativity. Success with domains is just as much an art as it is a science, if not more so (in noting the difference between the two, 1996 Nobel Prize winner Sir Harold Kroto said "In science, the universe is in control. In art, you are."). 

Many of the most familiar faces in our field are also exceptionally talented artists, musicians, writers (sometimes with skills in all of  those areas). One of Canada's most prominent domain pioneers, eMall.ca Founder Peter Maxymych, is a good example. Peter has a great .ca portfolio, filled with thousands of top tier keyword domains, and has posted some of the largest Canadian TLD sales ever made. Just last week he was on our sales charts again, this time with the industry's #1 ccTLD sale of the week - SportsBet.ca at USD $35,000. In addition to his skills with domains, Maxymych, a talented accordionist who has been playing since his teens, has produced some marvelous jazz CD's featuring some of the world's best musicians.

In 2013, I told you about Maxymych producing the critically acclaimed major label jazz CD The Montreal Sessions by the North American Jazz Alliance on Challenge Records. Fast forward to today and Peter is celebrating the release of another new CD - When Lights Are Low featuring Kenny Kotwitz & the LA Jazz Quintet, on which Peter served as the Executive Producer. 

I got a pre-release copy of the album a few weeks ago and was blown away by the tracks put down by the world class players Maxymych assembled for the project. In addition to Kotwitz (who is brilliant throughout) on accordian and celeste, the album has Nick Mancini on vibraphone, John Chiodini on guitar, Chuck 

CD Cover for When Lights Are Low by the LA Jazz Quintet

Berghofer on bass and Kendall Kay on drums and percussion. These members of the LA Jazz Quintet have performed live, recorded and toured with artists including Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Michael Buble, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Dr. John, Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson and countless others. 

When Lights Are Low features 13 standards and is dedicated to the late jazz accordian player Art Van Damme. The title track, along with "Cry Me a River", "When Sunny Gets Blue" and "Harlem Nocturne" are a few of my favorites but I love them all. It is the kind of soothing, tasteful music you could put on repeat play and enjoy listening to all evening long. While I like all genres of music (I used to be a radio DJ and also owned a series of record stores), some may say "I'm not into jazz or country" or fill in the blank. If you have any pre-conceived notions, I'm pretty sure they will disappear if you listen to When the Lights Are Low. It is just great music, period. You can learn more at the LA Jazz Quintet's website

Of course, it is impossible to talk about domains and music in the same conversation without talking about brothers Michael Castello and David Castello who spent their formative years playing together in rock and roll bands in New York and Los Angeles (Michael as lead singer and guitarist and David as the drummer). After taking a long break from to concentrate on domains, David returned to the stage and the recording studio a few years ago with bree, another terrific rock band fronted by his wife. 

I shared Michael and David's life 

Michael Castello and David Castello

story in a DNJournal Cover Story soon after we met for the first time back in 2006 and have written often about them (and their six and seven-figure domain sales) since then. Having become personal friends over the years, I was delighted to see that Giuseppe Graziano has published new back to back individual profiles of Michael and David on his blog at GGRG.com. That is a great approach because, while Michael and David have much in common (including great character qualities instilled by their parents), they also have their own unique personalities, lifestyles and innovative ideas. Giuseppe's informative and entertaining articles bring their stories completely up to date, so you won't want to miss these profiles of two of the best people in this business. You can read the piece on Michael here and the just published article about David is here

(Posted December 16, 2020)

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