The fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are on the 2012 ballot** for the Rock Hall the same year their manager, Cliff Burnstein, gets added to the Nominating Committee raises some interesting questions about integrity of the nomination process. Was Burnstein allowed to nominate and vote for them during the nomination meeting? Was Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, able to vote for Bruce back in 1999? Even if an artist is a Rock Hall no-brainer, it seems fair to ask members of the Nominating Committee to abstain from lobbying for artists they have a direct financial interest with, especially with more borderline candidates. This is most relevant for the record executives, publicists and managers on the Committee, rather than the critics and journalists. Repping an artist who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is undoubtedly more lucrative in the long run than one who is not.

**The Chili Peppers were also nominated two years ago (prior to Burnstein’s involvement with the Rock Hall) and are clearly strong Hall of Fame candidates, and it’s unknown if Burnstein was directly involved in getting the band on the ballot this year.

This is not a new problem for the Rock Hall Foundation, and they likely don’t see it as an issue. They have been facing accusations of bias since the Rock Hall’s birth and have never taken any steps to remove that perception.

If the Rock Hall wants to get serious about improving its perception with the public, we have some suggestions to improve the induction process:

1. Term limits for Nominating Committee members (5-7 years). The prospect of new voices on the Committee would give hope for neglected artists.
2. Allow the Nominating Committee members to speak about the process publicly.
3. Publish rules for the nominating process and include something to address conflicts of interest.
4. Make the list of Voting Committee members public.
5. Hire an independent accounting firm to handle the vote counting like every other reputable awards show does.
6. Publish complete voting statistics. We understand you don’t want to hurt artists’ feelings, but they will survive. It should be an honor just to be in the discussion for the Hall of Fame.
7. Find a way to engage the fans. There are lots of ways to do this, but a simple way would be to create a fan vote for the last ballot position from four choices you provide. We don’t want the Rock Hall to turn into the Hard Rock Café anymore than you do.
8. Stop being so secretive. You should have publicized the fact that Cliff Burnstein is now on the Nominating Committee. Be proud of who you are and what you are creating.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a fantastic museum and deserves an induction process worthy of it.