Not even close to true. A number of artists who have been elected to the Hall in recent years have been those who weren’t necessarily top-selling artists, but seen as important to the genre, or influential by later acts. For example:
- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
- Laura Nyro
- Lou Reed
- Tom Waits
- Leonard Cohen
Meanwhile, artists who have sold many millions of records, and are eligible for the Hall, but aren’t in (and may well never make it in):
- Celine Dion
- Mariah Carey
- Whitney Houston
- Phil Collins (as a solo artist)
- Bon Jovi
- Dire Straits
Indeed; this has long been argued to be the case, and fans of progressive rock, in particular, have pointed to Wenner’s alleged dislike for that genre as a reason why bands like Yes aren’t in (and why it took so long for Rush to finally make it in).
In: Bad Brains, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Jane’s Addiction, MC5, Yes.
All of the above bands were groundbreaking and influential, their reach far exceeding their album sales.
The rest were either not rock and roll (Joan Baez, Tupac, etc.) or were simply successful pop acts (The Cars, Journey, Janet Jackson, ELO, etc.) and IMO do not deserve it, IMO.
I’m mystified by Bad Brains. I’ve seen them several times including their first tour to SF in 1982-ish (at the Elite Club). Met them too. Bunch of homophobes that did interviews and gay bashed. Good show and all, maybe big influence on the east coast scene, but not an influence on the west coast. Not really seeing them as HOF material.
