Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers helm 2012 class of Rock Hall inductees

Guns N' Roses, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys are among the acts to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next spring.

British rockers The Faces and The Small Faces, despite differing lineups, were inducted as a single entity. Other newly inducted Hall of Famers include Donovan and Laura Nyro. All will also be honored at the 27th annual induction ceremony, which takes place April 14 at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the event go on sale Dec. 17 via the foundation's website.

Late bluesman Freddie King will be inducted to the Rock Hall's Early Influence category, and the late writer/producer Don Kirshner will be honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers. Producers Cosimo Matassa, Glyn Johns and the late Tom Dowd will be receive The Award For Musical Excellence.

Musicians are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their debut album, and nominees are chosen by a committee comprised of rock and roll historians. Once selected, ballots are sent to more than 500 rock experts worldwide. Nominees earning more than 50 percent of the vote are inducted. Generally five to seven inductees make the cut each year, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's website.

Those on the ballot who lost out for 2012 induction: Donna Summer, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Heart, Rufus with Chaka Khan, Eric B. & Rakim, War, the Cure and the Spinners.