The nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2015 have been announced. Highlighting the list of candidates are Nine Inch Nails, Lou Reed, The Smiths, Green Day, Kraftwerk, N.W.A., Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Chic, and Sting.
Other nominees include The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Marvelettes, The Spinners, Stevie Ray Vaughan, War, and Bill Withers.
In order for an artist to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, their first recording must have been released at least 25 years ago. This marks the first year Nine Inch Nails and Green Day are eligible as their respective debut records, 1,000 Hours and Pretty Hate Machine, were released in 1989.
Lou Reed was previously inducted as a member of The Velvet Underground, and Sting as a member of The Police — however, both musicians are up for induction as solo artists.
The top five vote-getters, as determined by a group of artists, historians, and music industry members, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in April 2015. Fans are also be able to vote, with the “fan’s ballot” counting as one of the more than 600 ballots used to determine the inductees. Fans can vote from now until December 9th at RollingStone.com.