It’s that special time of year once more, where the self-designated Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announces a wide-ranging new class of inductee candidates with a chance of making it into the controversial Hall. And once the few are chosen to elevate (the voting results are announced in December), the internet catches fire and endless keyboard battles are waged over who was snubbed, hoodwinked or forgotten.
This year’s round sees nominees Green Day and Nine Inch Nails hit the top of the popularity pack, and are all but guaranteed spots. With the screaming omissions of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, Judas Priest and more beloved qualifiers, controversy will no doubt be rich with this year’s inductees – but it’s partly promising to finally see all aforementioned artists up for induction this year.
Besides, if the favored Nine Inch Nails isn’t inducted, nucleus Trent Reznor will likely exhale once in a mildly disappointed fashion, have a glance at his Academy Award and go on about his day.
See the full list of 2015 Rock Hall nominees below.
•The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
•Chic
•Green Day
•Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
•Kraftwerk
•The Marvelettes
•N.W.A
•Nine Inch Nails
•Lou Reed
•The Smiths
•The Spinners
•Sting
•Stevie Ray Vaughan
•War
•Bill Withers
To be elegible for induction, artists or bands must have released their first single or album at least 25 years before the year of nomination. For instance, for 2015 the first recording had to be released no later than 1989. More than 700 artists, historians and members of the music industry from around the world will vote to determine the inductees, and fans can also help pick the winners by voting at rockhall.com, rollingstone.com, and usatoday.com.
