Battle of the bands to enter the Rock Hall of Fame.

For artists who are inducted into the Cleveland-based museum, the rewards can be enormous.

A performer or band's weekly album sales increase by 40 to 60 percent (on average) in the

weeks following the selection of nominees, confirms David Bakula, senior vice president of

Nielsen SoundScan. While winning a Grammy often helps boost an album's sales, entering

the famed museum in memory of rock's most influential artists can lift entire careers.

Today, record labels and artists need all the help they can get. The music business is worth

half of what it was 10 years ago, and the decline doesn't look like it will slow anytime soon.

Total revenue from sales of CDs, DVDs and other music products in the United States was

$6.85 billion in 2010, according to the Recording Industry Association of America; ten years

ago in 2000, that figure topped $14 billion.

The road to the Hall of Fame can be long and difficult. Controversy surrounds the selection

process, which is shrouded in unusual secrecy.

What is known is that a nominating committee, made up of about 30 music critics,

entertainment lawyers and record company executives, selects 15 artists for nomination each

year. Then another committee, this one made up of about 500 people, including past winners,

selects five nominees.

Artists can qualify for a spot in the museum only 25 years after their first recording, which

means that performers from the 1990s now have the opportunity to share the exhibit with
such giants as Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and

others.

With so much fame and money at stake, it's no wonder that pressure continues to be exerted

behind the scenes. Why a particular act is chosen in a particular year is a mystery, both to the

artists and to anyone watching the nomination from the outside. Yet committee members say

they want to keep it that way.

The Bee Gees, for example, were approved more than 11 times before being inducted in

1997; some fans say the long wait reflected an anti-disco bias.So too, despite possessing 27

studio albums and 45 years of touring, and a style that would influence many other artists,

Alice Cooper was nominated more than 16 times before finally being inducted.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/05/04/rock-and-roll-hall-fame-

2022-inductees/9636481002/

https://www.beegees.com/hall-fame-bee-gees/