'Dave Matthews Band got robbed,' fans say of 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction

For the first time in seven years, the winner of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan vote was not included in the class of inductees. And Dave Matthews Band fans are not thrilled.

New Rock Hall inductees were announced Wednesday: Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G., Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T. Rex round up the class of 2020.

Dave Matthews Band was a first-time nominee and won the organization's annual fan vote. Despite the fact that the beloved jam band racked up more than 1 million votes cast online since October, it was still absent from the induction list.

"If 1 million votes don't count, get rid of the fan vote & false hope for the fan base," tweeted user @One_Sweet_Ross. "Dave Matthews Band got robbed."

Other fans echoed with similar sentiments, wondering why the Hall of Fame opted to let fans vote if their voices weren't going to be heard.

"Sorry you did not get in," fan @CarsiniGraphics tweeted to the official Dave Matthews Band account. "Glad you have so many fans that love you."

The top five artists in the fan vote made up a fans' ballot, which is counted as a single vote alongside the 1,000-plus other ballots. Pat Benatar, the Doobie Brothers, Soundgarden and Judas Priest rounded out the fan vote ballot. Of those artists, only the Doobie Brothers made the 2020 class.

After the inductees were announced, the Dave Matthews Band posted a congratulatory note to the artists who'll be inducted and thanked their fans. "Congratulations to our fellow nominees that will be inducted into the @rockhall in 2020. We want to express gratitude for all of our amazing fans and their support. We reached over a million fan votes! Thank you!" the band posted to Twitter.

The 2020 Rock Hall inductees are: Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G., Doobie Brothers and more

Rock Hall President and CEO Greg Harris lauded the way the number of votes tell a story of how fans have been touched by art from the nominees.

"For the fan vote in particular, it’s incredibly exciting because we think about the numbers – they're a tally of numbers – but it’s also a reflection of fans and the impact that these bands have had on their lives," he told USA TODAY in October.

"For each vote cast, there’s probably a concert memory, there could’ve been a wedding dance, there could’ve been a high school experience tied to all of them, even those that are not in the top five, those fans have those memories and those connections, and this music has been so central to our lives. It’s a great way to voice that connection to the world," he said.

For the first time, the Rock Hall induction ceremony will be broadcast live on HBO May 2 (8 p.m. EST). Performances and special guests will be announced.

Tickets to the event will go on sale to the general public Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. EST on ticketmaster.com.

Contributing: Patrick Ryan and Erin Jensen.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rock Hall 2020: Dave Matthews Band fans slam induction exclusion