There are 17 acts on this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot, and the majority of them debuted between the Gulf War and Y2K.
Acts can be nominated 25 years after the release of their first record, which means voters this year will consider the impact of first-time nominees Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, P!NK, Shakira and Wu-Tang Clan. Returning to the ballot are the Black Crowes, Mariah Carey and Oasis.
In 2018, famously prickly Oasis co-leader Noel Gallagher gave a characteristic, winking response when asked by “Rolling Stone” if his band deserved to be inducted.
“I certainly think I do,” he said. “There could be a little miniature of me, somewhere. A tiny little thing with a wobbly head.”
Inductees are determined by a panel of 1,200 musicians and industry experts, alongside an online fan vote. The final list will be announced in April, alongside inductees in the non-performer categories.
It’s been a trend in recent years for the hall to consider one legendary-but-long-eligible act. Voters in 2026 will have a choice of two: Luther Vandross and Phil Collins.
On paper, they’re actually quite similar. Each released their solo debut LP in 1981, following a lengthy music career: Collins with Genesis, Vandross working with everyone from David Bowie to Roberta Flack. Between them, they charted hit records right into the 21st century, before Vandross’ 2005 death. Collins has been sidelined with health issues in recent years, following a 2022 farewell tour with Genesis.
British acts Billy Idol, Iron Maiden and Joy Division/New Order return to the ballot alongside Australian newcomer INXS.
Nigerian-born Sade and Boston’s New Edition round out this year’s ballot. The Boston R&B legends played Rocket Arena last weekend during their first tour in two years.
On Tuesday, a Rock Hall spokesperson would say only that the location of this year's induction ceremony will be released with the inductee list in April. Last fall, Axios reported that the 2026 ceremony would be in Cleveland just as the museum expects to complete a $135 million expansion.
From 1986-2008, the ceremony was held at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, with two exceptions. In 1993, the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles hosted the inductions. In 1997, after much lobbying by Northeast Ohio leaders, the ceremony moved to the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland.
After that — from 2009 until the COVID-19 pandemic — the ceremonies generally took place in April on a rotation of one year at Cleveland’s Public Hall followed by two years in New York City. Exceptions were 2013, when the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles hosted, and 2020, when the ceremony went virtual.
After that, the event moved to the fall with a rotation of Cleveland, then Los Angeles and New York. Rock Hall Foundation Chairman John Sykes has previously suggested that London and Nashville could be added to the rotation.
