MUMBAI: The uniquely talented and uncompromising users and endorsers of Sennheiser and Neumann microphones and RF systems have garnered over thirty Grammy Award nominations in the run up to the 52nd ceremony on January 31, 2010. With ten nominations, Sennheiser artist Beyonc?© leads the pack, acknowledgement that her latest release, I Am... Sasha Fierce, is an exceptional creation even against the music industry's most compelling works of 2009. Sennheiser users the Black Eyed Peas topped critics' lists this year with The E.N.D., and the band earned six Grammy nominations for the album, its singles, and its videos. In addition to nominations for a raft of stalwart Sennheiser and Neumann artists of the rock and pop set (Dave Matthews Band, Seal, Pink, Harry Connick Jr.), a large number of country acts are a vote away from the industry's highest honor this year (Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, The Greencards).

With I Am... Sasha Fierce and its mega-hit singles "Halo" and "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Beyonc?© is poised to win Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year, arguably the three most sought-after Grammys. In addition, she has nominations for four awards within the R&B genre, both traditional and contemporary; two nominations for her vocals outside the R&B genre, either solo or in collaboration with other artists; and finally one nomination for "Once In A Lifetime," Beyonc?©'s contribution, in the role of Etta James, to the film Cadillac Records.

With "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling," two singles from The E.N.D., the Black Eyed Peas became only the eleventh band in history to simultaneously hold the number one and two positions on the Billboard Hot 100. Amazingly, the songs stayed at the top of the charts for 26 consecutive weeks! Accordingly, the Black Eyed Peas are up for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and four more genre-specific awards, including Best Short Form Music Video for "Boom Boom Pow." In addition, pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph is nominated, together with the Clark Sisters, for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Higher Ground."

The intersection of Sennheiser artists and great Country acts will be well represented at the Grammys this year. The Zac Brown Band is nominated for Best New Artist, Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best Country Album for their debut, The Foundation. For its smash hit, "I Run to You," Lady Antebellum has been nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, and The Greencards are all up for one award each within the Country categories.

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King gave Neumann devotee the Dave Matthews Band its fifth consecutive number one debut and nominations for both Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. Another celebrated Neumann user, Harry Connick Jr., is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Your Songs. Industry legend Seal is a favorite for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his entrancing "If You Don't Know Me by Now." Lastly (but not leastly), Pop diva Pink stands to walk away with two awards, Best Pop Vocal Album for Funhouse and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Sober."

The Sennheiser Group, with its headquarters in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. The family-owned company, which was established in 1945, recorded sales of over EUR 385 million in 2008. Sennheiser employs more than 2,100 people worldwide, around 55% of whom are in Germany. Sennheiser has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA, and is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as by long-term trading partners in many other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones), and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centers).