Like any good salmon before them, Phish swam upstream and spawned the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s most coveted honor. The band was the decisive winner of this year’s Fan Vote, with over 326,000 people voting for Trey Anastasio’s musical brotherhood since the populist ballot opened up in February. Bad Company, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Soundgarden, and Chubby Checker followed Phish to round out the remainder of the allotted slots, with the septet now consisting of one collective “fan ballot” that represents the interests of those not in the official voting body. To the Phans who were able to take it this far: We salute you. Jam it up today. But a Fan Vote win doesn’t guarantee anything about future induction chances, something that the Rock Hall doesn’t necessarily communicate well. Allow us to walk you through these nuances while “Farmhouse” gently plays in the background.

I’m confused. Phish won.

It’s true! They got more votes than the bottom-four artists — the White Stripes, OutKast, Oasis, and Maná — combined. But because the Fan Vote is one unified ballot as opposed to a tiered or weighted system, all seven artists are on equal footing. That means first-place Phish has just as much power as seventh-place Chubby Checker, even if Checker’s fans amounted to 201,000. With the polls closed, the Fan Vote now joins the rest of the votes for a final tally; it’s one out of approximately 1,200 to be counted toward the 2025 class. The body consists of other artists, previous inductees, historians, and music-industry professionals.

Why does the Rock Hall do that?

The ballots have always been structured that way. For reference, I’m an official voter, and here’s what it looked like when I submitted my 2025 ballot.

But, historically, is winning the Fan Vote a good sign?

It absolutely is. Since this special ballot was created in 2013, a whopping 11 out of 12 years has resulted in the winner being inducted the same year. Phish joins an eclectic group that includes Chicago, Tina Turner, and Kiss.

And the outlier was …

Back in 2020, when Dave Matthews Band — with a truly staggering figure of over one million votes — lost out to a group of other performers. DMB would return to the ballot in 2024, decisively win the Fan Vote again, and later get inducted in a fun Cleveland ceremony. There’s even been a precedent for the Fan Vote “loser” getting in: That would be Jay-Z in 2021.

So why even have the Fan Vote?

Well, even if the data doesn’t necessarily correlate between Fan Vote picks and overall inductees, giving one ballot to the general public helps the Rock Hall identify popular interest beyond the influence-and-impact ideology that tends to guide class selection. Most artists up for induction this year have also acknowledged the power of the Fan Vote and how it can galvanize their respective communities of listeners. And it’s kind of cool having a vote that’s of equal footing to Geddy Lee’s and Peter Gabriel’s, no? Just us?

Related

• Rock Hall Nominee Power Rankings: Who’s Rolling on Top?
• ‘A Big Fat No’: Two Rock Hall Voters Dissect Their 2025 Ballots

 It’s a good sign, but it doesn’t guarantee anything.