Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk, N.W.A and The Smiths nominated for 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails could soon join the ranks of rock royalty, after the industrial pioneers were nominated for a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The band – who played their biggest indoor UK shows to date earlier this year – are nominated for the first time, as are The Smiths and Green Day.

Speaking to The Skinny earlier this year, Reznor remarked on the band's growing status as a rock institution. He said: "I’ve been doing this now for something like 25 years – which is hard to even comprehend from my point of view. My fear is that it gets comfortable, that it feels routine, it becomes expected and it’s not progressing forward, taking risks and feeling unsure."

Reznor has already won the film industry's most prestigious prize, nabbing an Oscar for his work on the soundtrack for The Social Network in 2011. His compositions feature on the soundtrack for David Fincher's new film Gone Girl.

Nine Inch Nails didn't have the best time at their last major awards ceremony – their closing performance at the 2014 Grammys was cut off for an ad break, prompting Reznor to claim the band had been "disrespected" by organisers.

Kraftwerk and N.W.A. are also on the somewhat eclectic nominees’ list, alongside Chic and Lou Reed. Reed is already in the Hall of Fame as part of the Velvet Underground. Nirvana and Kiss were among last year’s inductees to the club.

Bands and artists are eligible for Hall of Fame consideration 25 years after the release of their first record. Inductees are selected by a panel of industry insiders and artists, with fans’ votes also taken into consideration.

Full list of 2015 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Green Day, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, N.W.A., Nine Inch Nails, Lou Reed, The Smiths, The Spinners, Sting,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, War, Bill Withers.

FROM THE ARCHIVE:

"It’s nice just to see somebody out there gives a shit about us" – Trent Reznor on NiN's return