Last year, it mattered. The top five vote-getters in the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan voting all ended up being inducted. The list included the Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Cher. This year's top vote-getter does not belong in that class.
Phish fans will get upset, and they should. The truth is that Phish is a band with a devout following, and fans who will defend them to the death. But the truth is that fans probably have a more emotional connection to their experiences while listening to Phish than to the music the band creates.
This does not mean Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, and their mates don't make good music. They do. That does not make them worthy of being enshrined in the Rock Hall. The band has sold eight million records, and a few outside the United States. Phishheads will argue, but the band does not have a significant global presence.
Who won the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan vote in 2025?
They are simply lucky enough to be native to the nation that houses the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If Toronto housed the Rock Hall, you can bet the Tragically Hip would be inducted. And they should. They are a better band than Phish.
Phish's tours are also solid economic successes, benefiting both the band and its vendors. The same holds for many bands. Phish might be a very successful touring act, but not by percentage. They tour a lot, and their gross earnings compared to tickets sold pale in comparison to many other musical artists.
In other words, touring success is good for Phish, but not at an elite level. Performing more than other artists and, therefore, selling more tickets because of the number of shows, does not make them a unique success. Maybe Coachella and other festivals have changed a bit how they do business based on Phish tours, but a truly worthy Rock Hall artist can tour on their own without the need to create festival-like productions.
Still, Phish has a chance. The 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan vote ended on April 21, and now we all await the Rock Hall's final candidates. All the fan votes are collected into one ballot and combined with about a thousand other votes. In other words, the fan ballot might not be necessary.
Plus, numbers two through six of the 2025 fan vote are more worthy of induction than Phish. You can judge for yourself below.
- Phish: 329,281 votes
- Bad Company: 280,725 votes
- Billy Idol: 260,416 votes
- Cyndi Lauper: 236,960 votes
- Joe Cocker: 233,495 votes
- Soundgarden: 233,205 votes
- Chubby Checker: 203,092 votes
- The Black Crowes: 165,249 votes
- Mariah Carey: 137,993 votes
- Joey Division + New Order: 120,346 votes
- The White Stripes: 110,511 votes
- Outkast: 108,073 votes
- Oasis: 99,381 votes
- Maná: 34,506 votes