Courtney Love Slams Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame For ‘Sexist Gatekeeping’

In an op-ed in the Guardian, titled, “Why Are Women So Marginalised by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” rock singer and guitarist Courtney Love criticized the organization’s nomination process for excluding women and black artists.

“The nominations for this year’s class, announced last month, offered the annual reminder of just how extraordinary a woman must be to make it into the ol’ boys club,” she wrote.

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Although there are a record number of women nominees this year, Love cited Kate Bush as a specific example, noting that she did not make the ballot until 2018 even though she was eligible for nomination since 2004.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame took more than 30 years to induct Nina Simone and Carole King. She said that this trend could be partly explained by the fact that “of the 31 people on the nominating board, just nine are women.” Love also quoted music historian Evelyn McDonnell, an RRHOF voter, who said that 90% of the musicians and music industry members on the voting committee are men.

Love used this evidence to support her claim that the voting process needs to be overhauled in order to recognize more black artists and women.

She went on to say that the RRHOF’s “sexist gatekeeping” replicates “the violence of structural racism and sexism that artists face in the music industry.”

Love also tweeted a post from Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde, who called the organization’s selections “total bollocks.”

Below is a list of the 2023 nominees.

A Tribe Called Quest
Kate Bush
Sheryl Crow
Missy Elliott
Iron Maiden
Joy Division/New Order
Cyndi Lauper
George Michael
Willie Nelson
Rage Against the Machine
Soundgarden
The Spinners
The White Stripes
Warren Zevon