Depending on whom you ask, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an honor, a scam, or — in one case — a “ piss stain .” But chairman John Sykes, who’s held the position since 2020, believes his organization’s annual induction ceremony has stealthily crept up to become music’s highest honor. “Artists care so much about getting in because there’s not a lot of their peers in there,” he says, days before the newest inductee class will air as a condensed ABC special on January 1.
(A full livestream of the ceremony premiered on Disney+ back in October.) Under his tutelage, the Rock Hall has made meaningful changes in response to its loudest criticisms, such as admitting more women — Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dionne Warwick, and Big Mama Thorton are among the 2024 class — and loosening the definition of what rock and roll can be.
But one aspect of the Rock Hall has remained elusive since it was established. When the nominating committee gathers every year to make the ballot, what the hell goes down in that room? In the spirit of transparency, Sykes went into detail about what the nomination process entails and the disputes that inevitably occur when dozens of members are campaigning for their top choices. He likens it to the closest thing the organization can get to a democratic system, even if it leans, at times, into the absurd.
“My job is to respect everyone’s opinion, allow everyone to disagree and then accept the decision that their peers make,” he says. �.
