GRAMMYS Drunk In Love Feat Jay Z

Jay Z and Beyonce just did something that neither of them has done in ages: perform as an opening act. The concert they kicked off, however, happens to be music’s biggest night.

Their performance of “Drunk in Love” at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards is the latest example of the synergy between their two brands, and it serves as a reminder that their union is as much a merger as it is a marriage.

As media buyer Ryan Schinman told me in an interview for my Jay Z biography Empire State of Mind: “It’s a case of one plus one equals ten.”

It’s too early to accurately quantify the impact of tonight’s performance on Jay Z and Beyonce’s bottom line. But the duo is already dominating the social media landscape even after act after celebrated act takes the stage at the Grammys.

Music’s first couple, however, is already padding their coffers thanks to direct and indirect collaborations. They pulled in a combined $95 million over the past year, the most of any celebrity couple. Beyonce appeared on Jay Z’s latest album, and vice versa.

Perhaps more interestingly, at least from a business perspective, they followed similar blueprints in their respective launches. Both waited until as late as possible to announce their albums–Beyonce’s self-titled effort was among the year’s ten best-sellers despite being released as a surprise in mid-December.

That’s the latest manifestation of a trend that’s been following them for quite awhile.

“I think their careers blossomed together,” producer Jim Jonsin once told me. “They’re the president and first lady of the music industry … By marrying Beyoncé, he attached himself to all her fans, and then they went and got into his stuff. The same goes for her, she got a bunch of new fans from him.”

What’s particularly fascinating is that, since their 2008 nuptials, both stars’ careers have continued to soar–despite albums that, while fairly well-received, haven’t enjoyed the same level of acclaim as some of their earlier efforts.

As long as Jay Z and Beyonce remain popular individually, it seems they’ll always be able to push their shared star even higher, as well as their earnings.

The examples don’t get much clearer than tonight–and Jay Z, who leads the pack with eight Grammy nominations, may just be getting started.