The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has canceled plans to hold the ceremony in its Cleveland auditorium, as it has done for decades. The change is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to force us to maintain social distancing.
The ceremony will now be virtual and will be broadcast on HBO in the United States on November 7th. It is not yet known how or if it will be broadcast in Brazil. The Class of 2020 will honor Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, T-Rex , and The Notorious B.I.G. The Ahmet Ertegun Award – which celebrates songwriters, producers, record label executives, journalists, and other rock professionals – will honor Jon Laudan and Irving Azoff.
“To protect the health and safety of the artists who will be inducted [into the Hall], their families, teams, and our guests, we have decided that holding the ceremony live is not possible,” said John Sykes , president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a statement released to the press.
“Together with HBO and our executive producer Joel Gallen , we will create an exciting program to honor our class of 2020, telling the stories of their incredible contributions to music and the impact they had on the generation of artists that came after them.”
The ceremony was scheduled to take place on May 2nd at Cleveland's Public Hall. Closer to the date, the event was postponed to November 7th, but as time passed, the organizers realized it would be impossible to hold the ceremony in the traditional format, even if they chose to do it without an audience. Those who purchased tickets for the 2020 edition will receive a full refund.
This will be the first time in the history of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that the event will take place without a live audience, but several awards ceremonies are following the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization) and adapting their plans to the virtual platform.