The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2013 induction nominees on October 15, including KISS, Nirvana, N.W.A. and more. Although there's no limit to how many can be allowed into the hall by the panel of 600 voters, we at Music Times have been reading too much The Hunger Games and wondered: What if there could be only one?
Therefore we've organized the nominees into a bracket, and are giving you, the reader, the chance to vote for the artists of your choice. Is it fair? No, but it will certainly test your loyalty to your favorite acts. We'll release one quadrant a day for voting, and hopefully give you a chance to learn something about the acts along the way.
ROUND THREE
KISS vs. Linda Ronstadt
The results from round two are in, and both KISS and Linda Ronstadt dominated their competition. The glam-metal band has now had two easy wins thanks to the votes of the KISS Army, easily overcoming Paul Butterfield and LL Cool J without breaking a sweat (which is good...that would muss up the makeup). Ronstadt actually had more difficulty getting past her first round opponent, Yes, than she did beating out The Meters. Based on the voting so far, it would seem that KISS has the upper hand thanks to its dedicated fan base, but Ronstadt's got a band of followers herself...just less vocal than the Army.
Peter Gabriel vs. Nirvana
No tight battles at all heading into the final four of the competition. Peter Gabriel had no problems dispatching Hall & Oates despite the latter's sales records, and Nirvana blew out Deep Purple like smoke on water. This semifinal match pits two MTV icons against each other however, and the era of the voters might be the difference in who wins out. Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" is the most broadcast music video of all time, with good reason, but Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is also one of the most iconic video shots of all time.