Bon Jovi, Nina Simone, Radiohead Among Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has released its nominee list for 2018.

ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 2018 NOMINEES RELEASED

Bon Jovi, Nina Simone, and Radiohead are among those nominated. Historically, the ballot has been capped at around 12, but for the second year in a row, 19 acts are up for the honor. Ten of the 19 have been nominated before, including Rufus feat. Chaka Khan, the Cars, J. Geils Band, MC5, the Meters, Link Wray, the Zombies, and Depeche Mode.

Radiohead and Rage Against the Machine both made the vote in their first year of eligibility, which comes after 25 years have passed from an act’s first recording. Kate Bush, Judas Priest, Dire Straits, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and the Moody Blues are all first-time nominations.

Despite the number of nominees increasing, the number of acts accepted into the Hall of Fame remains in the single digits, with usually only five to seven going forward. “Voting in the past has been so close,” officials said in a statement. “Similar to last year, the nominating committee wanted to be more inclusive and have more choices for fans and the voting body.”

Inductees are chosen by an international committee of more than 900 participants, which include past inductees, historians, and members of the music industry. The aggregate results of the Rock Hall’s online fan vote is also considered.

Factors that play a part in the vote are an artist’s influence on other acts, the length and depth of a career, and innovation in style and technique. The acts that were accepted into the Hall of Fame in 2017 were Tupac Shakur, Yes, Joan Baez, Pearl Jam, Electric Light Orchestra, and Journey.

Radiohead band member Ed O’Brien made headlines earlier this year when he admitted his dislike of the Hall of Fame process. “I don’t want to be rude about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because for a lot of people it means something, but culturally I don’t understand it,” he told Rolling Stone. “I think it might be a quintessential American thing. Brits are not very good at slapping ourselves on the back. It seems very showbiz and I’m not very showbiz… It’s just really uncomfortable.”

The chosen inductees will be announced in December with the ceremony, which will take place in New York, coming in April. It will be broadcast on HBO and SiriusXM radio. Fan voting began Oct. 4 and will continue through Dec. 5.

See the complete list of nominees is below:
Bon Jovi
Kate Bush
The Cars
Depeche Mode
Dire Straits
Eurythmics
J. Geils Band
Judas Priest
LL Cool J
MC5
The Meters
Moody Blues
Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
Nina Simone
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Link Wray
The Zombies