The votes are in: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [ tickets ] will induct Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M. [ tickets ], The Ronettes, Patti Smith [ tickets ] and Van Halen [ tickets ] this spring.

The inductees will be honored during a March 12 ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Presenters and performers will be announced next month, according to a press release.

"We couldn't be more proud to honor this unique, diverse group of rockers, rappers, singers and poets," Rock Hall Foundation chief Joel Peresman said in a statement. "This is what rock and roll is all about."

The ceremony will also honor the late Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary co-founder of Atlantic Records who was also the chairman of the hall's Foundation. The main exhibit hall in Cleveland's Rock Hall Museum is named after Ertegun.

Grandmaster Flash [ tickets ] and the Furious Five will be the first hip-hop act inducted by the Rock Hall, according to Cleveland's Plain Dealer newspaper. Grandmaster Flash is a hip-hop pioneer who was the first to use turntables as a musical instrument. His work with the Furious Five rappers helped solidify rap as an enduring form of music.

R.E.M. was the quintessential underground, indie-rock band in the '80s until its hard-touring and non-stop recording ways moved the group into mainstream success with hits like "Losing My Religion." The influential band is considered to be one of the forefathers of the alternative-rock movement.

Girl trio The Ronettes, who were groomed by "Wall of Sound" producer Phil Spector, are known for the 1963 smash hit "Be My Baby." Their music was considered some of the most groundbreaking in the genre and their image was edgier than other girl groups of the time. The producer's infamous marriage to the group's Ronnie Spector is also the stuff of legend.

Singer/poet Patti Smith has been called punk rock's poet laureate and one of the most influential female rockers of all time. She is known for her avant-garde musical expression and powerful live presence, whirling around the concert stage. She had a Top 20 hit in 1978 with "Because the Night," co-written by Bruce Springsteen.

Whether it be the David Lee Roth years or the Sammy Hagar years, Van Halen is one of the most successful rock bands of all time. The Grammy-winning group has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most No. 1 rock tracks at radio, according to a press release.

The inductees were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock Hall 25 years after their first recording is released.

The inductees will be commemorated inside the Rock Hall Museum with their signatures inscribed in glass. Also, an exhibit of artifacts and a multi-media film presentation honoring this year's inductees will open in March and run for one year.