Jon Landau, the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, emailed an undisclosed number of committee members telling them their services are no longer needed.

Sources suggest that as many as 16 of the 42 nominating committee have been let go.

The issue is that the move has wiped out more than half of the Hall's "Early Rock and R&B Influencers" subcommittee, as at least four of the seven subcommittee members were among those relieved of their duty. They are veteran A&R executive Joe McEwen, a blues and R&B expert; Greg Geller, a label executive specializing in reissues; Arthur Levy, a senior writer at a number of major record labels; and Bob Merlis, one of the industry's most renowned publicists who is now independent but was at Warner Bros. Records from the early 1970s through the 1990s.

The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
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I know that many people, including myself, have an issue with the Hall's nominating process. Bands that seem like slam-dunks sit around for years waiting for induction, while bands that were not well-known in pop culture but may have had behind-the-scenes influence make the cut.

It's not that I think those older influential artists should be ignored, but it seems like every year a band is announced that is greeted with a collective "Who?" from the rest of the world.

Maybe a shake-up amongst the ranks of the Nominating Committees will be beneficial, but I also fear this could lead to more inductees of bands that don't really feel like they belong with the likes of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and Chuck Berry.

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