<P> The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebrated its 25th anniversary with a concert series over two days on October 29 and 30, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York . The celebration included performances by Jerry Lee Lewis, U2, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Simon & Garfunkel, Dion DiMucci, Metallica, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Fergie, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Ray Davies, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Simon, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Little Anthony & the Imperials, and Crosby, Stills and Nash . The first night ran almost six hours with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band closing the concert with special guests John Fogerty, Darlene Love, Tom Morello, Sam Moore, Jackson Browne, Peter Wolf, and Billy Joel . </P> <P> Artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at an annual induction ceremony . Over the years, the majority of the ceremonies have been held at the Waldorf - Astoria Hotel in New York City . However, on January 12, 1993, the ceremony was held in Los Angeles, and was held there again in 2013 . On May 6, 1997, about a year and a half after the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the ceremony was held in Cleveland . It returned to Cleveland in 2009 and again in 2012 . Current plans call for the ceremony to be in Cleveland every three years . Generally, the number of inductees ranges from about a half - dozen to a dozen . Virtually all living inductees have attended the ceremonies, and they are presented with their Hall of Fame award by an artist who was influenced by that inductee's music . Both the presenter and the inductee speak at the ceremonies, which also include numerous musical performances, by both the inductees and the presenters . The first group of inductees, inducted on January 23, 1986, included Elvis Presley, James Brown, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis . Robert Johnson, Jimmie Rodgers, and Jimmy Yancey were inducted as Early Influences, John Hammond received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Alan Freed and Sam Phillips were inducted as Non-Performers . </P> <P> A nominating committee composed of rock and roll historians selects names for the "Performers" category (singers, vocal groups, bands, and instrumentalists of all kinds), which are then voted on by roughly five hundred experts across the world . Those selected to vote include academics, journalists, producers, and others with music industry experience . Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record . Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll . To be selected for induction, performers must receive the highest number of votes, and also greater than 50% of the votes . Around five to seven performers are inducted each year . </P> <P> In 2012, six additional groups, the Miracles, the Famous Flames, the Comets, the Blue Caps, the Midnighters, and the Crickets, were inducted as performers by a special committee due to the controversial exclusions when their lead singer was inducted . "There was a lot of discussion about this," said Terry Stewart, a member of the nominating committee . "There had always been conversations about why the groups weren't included when the lead singers were inducted . Very honestly, nobody could really answer that question--it was so long ago...We decided we'd sit down as an organization and look at that . This is the result ." </P>

Who votes for the rock and roll hall of fame