R.E.M. [ tickets ], Van Halen [ tickets ], The Stooges, Patti Smith and The Dave Clark Five are among nine acts on the final ballot for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, according to various reports.

Chic, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Joe Tex, and The Ronettes complete this year's ballot. Five acts of the nine eligible acts will be inducted during a March 12 ceremony at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, though the inductees will be announced in December.

Artists become eligible for induction into the Rock Hall's ranks 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria considered includes "the influence and significance of the artist's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll," according to the Rock Hall's official website. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's nominating committee, which is "composed of rock and roll historians," selects eligible nominees, and ballots are then sent to "an international voting body of about 700 rock experts."

This year's new Rock Hall class included Black Sabbath, The Sex Pistols, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blondie and Miles Davis.