payola

noun

pay·​o·​la pā-ˈō-lə How to pronounce payola (audio)
: 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.
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 The payola scandal of the 1950s, where radio DJs in the US were paid to play records, was one of the first big shots. Christopher Null, WIRED, 7 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for payola 

Word History

Etymology

pay entry 1 + -ola (as in Pianola, trademark for a player piano)

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of payola was in 1938

Dictionary Entries Near payola

Cite this Entry

“Payola.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payola. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

payola

noun
pay·​o·​la pā-ˈō-lə How to pronounce payola (audio)
: a secret or indirect payment (as to a disc jockey) for a commercial favor (as for promoting a particular record)

More from Merriam-Webster on payola

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!