payola

noun

pay·o·la pā-ˈō-lə

: undercover or indirect payment (as to a disc jockey) for a commercial favor (as for promoting a particular recording)

Examples of payola in a Sentence

These radio disc jockeys accepted payola to play particular songs. payola in the music industry

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But in between innovating new forms of payola and cozying up to authoritarian regimes, the Globes still found time to vote. —

Jen Chaney, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024 Read: How Google ran out of ideas But even if the payola is forced to end, that doesn’t mean competitors would arise or thrive in the search market. —

Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 6 Aug. 2024 These promoters had monopolized radio airplay through payola and other questionable practices. —

Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 July 2024 The internet, on the other hand, is capable of disseminating virtually limitless data, and therefore the payola laws don’t apply. —

Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 1 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for payola