NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. pop star Madonna and disco queen Donna Summer are among nine acts nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the hall embraces more musical genres.

Other nominees include U.S. rock singer John Mellencamp, Canadian poet-singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, 1960s English band The Dave Clark Five and instrumental rock band The Ventures.

Also nominated are New York-based funk group Chic, rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa and hip-hop group The Beastie Boys, reflecting the Hall of Fame's willingness to accept a diversity of genres.

Five-hundred music industry professionals will choose five of the nominees to be inducted at a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel next March.

Last year, rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first hip-hop artists to be inducted.

Chic, the Dave Clark Five and Mellencamp have been nominated previously.

Artists become eligible for Hall of Fame induction 25 years after the release of their first record and are represented at a permanent exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

Madonna, 49, made her debut in 1982 and her first album "Madonna" included hits such as "Holiday," "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" which helped her become one of the best-selling pop artists, with more then 200 million albums sold worldwide.