iHeartRadio released its annual Year-End Rewind on Wednesday, revealing that Sabrina Carpenter was the most-played artist across its 850+ stations in 2025, racking up an astonishing 2.7 billion audience impressions (spins × average quarter-hour listeners). Close behind in the Top 3 were SZA and Kendrick Lamar, cementing pop, R&B, and hip-hop’s continued grip on terrestrial radio airwaves.
Carpenter’s blockbuster year was fueled by inescapable hits “Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” and “Taste,” all of which spent multiple weeks atop iHeartRadio’s national airplay chart. The former Disney star’s 2.7 billion spins dwarfed the runner-up by hundreds of millions, marking one of the widest margins in Rewind history.
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| Sabrina Carpenter |
- Sabrina Carpenter – 2.7 billion audience spins
- SZA
- Kendrick Lamar
- Taylor Swift
- Post Malone
- Morgan Wallen
- Teddy Swims
- Beyoncé
- Billie Eilish
- Drake
While radio remains a powerful promotional engine—often the final stepping stone before an artist crosses into true mainstream ubiquity—the Rewind numbers also spotlight the growing financial disconnect between airplay success and artist earnings.
Terrestrial radio in the U.S. is not required to pay performers royalties for over-the-air spins (only songwriters and publishers receive performance royalties via ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR). That means Carpenter, SZA, Lamar, and every other artist on the list earned $0 in direct sound-recording royalties from their billions of iHeartRadio impressions in 2025.
The contrast with streaming is stark: the same level of consumption on Spotify or Apple Music would generate millions in master royalties for labels and artists. The disparity has reignited calls from the music industry for Congress to close the “terrestrial loophole” through legislation such as the proposed American Music Fairness Act, which would finally require AM/FM stations to pay performers when their recordings are broadcast.
iHeartMedia, the nation’s largest radio broadcaster, continues to emphasize its promotional value, noting that heavy rotation often translates into streaming gains, tour sales, and merchandise revenue for artists.
Yet as streaming payouts (however controversial) remain the primary income source for most recording artists, the 2025 Rewind serves as both a celebration of radio’s cultural influence and a reminder of the ongoing debate over fair compensation in the royalties gap that has persisted for decades.