According to the Los Angeles Times, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will begin a new era on January 1 with a new chairman, iHeartMedia President of entertainment enterprises John Sykes. He was selected by the board of directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, replacing Jann Wenner, the 73-year-old longtime editor of Rolling Stone magazine who announced this week that he will step down from the organization he co-founded in 1983.

Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

The hall in general, and the annual induction ceremony in particular, have taken their share of jabs over the years: too many inductees, not enough inductees, hip-hop isn’t “rock ‘n’ roll,” too few women are in, there’s a bias against heavy metal and progressive rock. What’s your view on those arguments?

Having been on the board for 25 years, I recognize that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is no longer about a single genre of music. It’s about all the music that aspires to connect with young people. Jon Landau [head of the nominating committee] has always pointed out that every record that Motown put out had the words “The Sound of Young America” written on the label. That’s what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is about. It’s not about genre, it’s about the music that changed our culture. This year Notorious B.I.G. is eligible and I think he has a good shot at getting in.”

What other changes do you envision under your leadership?

I want to expose as many people as possible to all the incredible music that surrounds us. My mantra for my entire career has been, “If you want to win, follow the artists,” because they are the blood that flows through the veins of all our business. We will be celebrating those artists, whether fans go to the physical building in Cleveland or see what we’re doing on Instagram or YouTube, we want to be everywhere. We have new board members. The induction ceremony will be live (on HBO) next year instead of taped.”

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.