The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame is ready to immortalize the Class of 2025. And American Idol fans were the first to know who made the cut!
Seven new performers who will join the hallowed halls in Cleveland were announced during the live broadcast of the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night” episode of “American Idol” on April 27,
They are:
- Bad Company
- Chubby Checker
- Joe Cocker
- Cyndi Lauper
- Outkast
- Soundgarden
- The White Stripes
In addition, Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will be recognized with the Musical Influence Award.
Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye will be honored for Musical Excellence.
And Lenny Waronker, noted producer and DreamWorks/Warner Bros. Records executive, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
What It Takes to Be Considered
The seven performers being inducted were whittled down from a list of 14 announced earlier this year.
To be eligible for induction into the Rock Hall, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years before the year of nomination.
In a 2016 speech to Cleveland’s City Club, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame CEO Greg Harris gave some insight into the process.
Though some of it is shrouded in secrecy, Harris said there is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee that consists of “roughly 24 people.” The members of the committee are supposed to remain top secret to prevent artists from lobbying them.
Harris says each member of the committee gets to nominate two artists for induction. After that, all suggestions are discussed behind closed doors until the list is whittled down to 15 or less.
According to the Rock Hall website, after that, “ballots are then sent to more than 600 historians, members of the music industry and artists–including every living Rock Hall inductee–and the performers receiving the most votes become that year’s induction class.”
Class of 2025- Who Didn’t Make the Cut
Those on the original list of 14 who didn’t ultimately make the cut include Mariah Carey, Oasis, The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Phish, Joy Division/New Order and Maná.
That’s despite Phish winning the fan vote with almost 330,000 votes, which is about 50,000 more than the next highest fan fave, Bad Company.
Contrary to popular belief, winning the fan vote does not guarantee induction, though it is usually a good indicator of a nominee making it to the final selection.
In fact, since 2020, only the Dave Matthews Band earned the top fan vote but didn’t make it to the final selection until Phish this year. (The Dave Matthews Band made it to the Rock Hall’s class of 2024.)
When and Where the Class of 2025 Will Be Inducted
The Class of 2025 will be inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame November 8. The full induction ceremony will air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Disney+.
It will also stream on Hulu the next day.
A condensed version will air on ABC at a yet-to-be-announced date.
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Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame Rocks the Class of 2025