CLEVELAND — Cleveland is known as the birthplace of rock 'n' roll with a musical history dating back to the early 1950s when DJ Alan Freed popularized the genre's term.
But rock 'n' roll's roots stretch far beyond Northeast Ohio, which is why the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony isn't always held in Cleveland.
"When I took over this position almost three years ago the first question I had was, why doesn't the hall have a presence in Los Angeles when half of the music industry and most of the artists are based there?" Rock Hall Chairman John Sykes told Forbes in a recent interview. "And I think there just was perception that this was a New York based foundation. And one of the first things I did was to change that and from now on we're going to rotate the induction ceremonies between Cleveland, New York and Los Angeles."
The three-city rotation comes after the Rock Hall previously announced plans in 2016 that inductions would be held between Cleveland and New York.
But there's more...
Sykes also hinted at the possibility of expanding future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies to other destinations.
"And hopefully one day other cities like London and Nashville," Sykes told Forbes. "My point of view was it's time to change that. The Rock Hall of Fame should live where the artists and the music industry is and those are those cities. And for me, Los Angeles will now will be a regular stop for the hall."
For 2022, the induction ceremony is taking place at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. Cleveland most recently hosted the 2021 induction ceremony at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse last October.