Janet Jackson, NWA Among Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

Janet Jackson, The Smiths, and The Cars are among the acts nominated for induction into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Just over half of this year’s field are first-time nominees, including East L.A.’s Los Lobos, which recently released its latest album, “Gates of Gold”.

Although the process isn’t transparent, typically six to eight nominees on the ballot are elected and then one to three are inducted in non-performer and lifetime achievement categories, which apparently are chosen by a Rock Hall of Fame committee. But the recent blockbuster success of the group’s biopic, “Straight Outta Compton”, likely boosts its chances of induction this time around.

Meanwhile, disco-funk band Chic scores a tenth nomination, setting a record for noms without an induction and making them the Susan Lucci of rock enshrinement.

The rest of the artists on the ballot are much more rock: The Cars, Chicago, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Los Lobos, Steve Miller, Nine Inch Nails (NIN) and the Smiths. Perhaps 2016 will finally be their year? N.W.A is next, followed by Deep Purple and the Spinners, who were both nominated twice before this year.

The J.B.’s. The original name of James Brown’s ’70s band, which included members such as Bootsy Collins and Bobby Byrd, and climbed the charts with funk tunes Gimme a few More and Doing It to Death. Likewise, Yes’ presence among the nominees should quiet vociferous progressive-rock fans who annually chide the hall for its paucity of representatives of that genre. See NPR’s guide to The Right Way To Complain About The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Voting ends December. 9 and the top five artists will make up a fans’ ballot, which counts as a single vote.

There is a public vote but it has minimal impact on the final results.

When nominations are announced, a common complaint is that the Hall of Fame favors newer acts.