: the playing of a musical recording on the air by a radio station
a song getting a lot of airplay
Examples of airplay in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
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Billboard Japan, Billboard, 26 Dec. 2025
In the past, popular songs could maintain top positions on the Billboard charts because of repeat listening by users on streaming services, as well as continuous airplay on radio stations.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Currently, only songwriters get royalties from radio airplay, not the artists who performed the track (whether lead performer or backing musicians).
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2025
The posthumous milestone cements Jackson’s musical legacy: the 1982 classic amassed 14 million streams and a radio airplay audience of 9.3 million, according to Luminate.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
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Billboard Japan, Billboard, 26 Dec. 2025
In the past, popular songs could maintain top positions on the Billboard charts because of repeat listening by users on streaming services, as well as continuous airplay on radio stations.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Currently, only songwriters get royalties from radio airplay, not the artists who performed the track (whether lead performer or backing musicians).
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2025
The posthumous milestone cements Jackson’s musical legacy: the 1982 classic amassed 14 million streams and a radio airplay audience of 9.3 million, according to Luminate.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airplay
Cite this Entry
“Airplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airplay. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
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