record "Burnin Down the House," they ignited the market for a new wave of rock and roll in the 1980s. Their story reveals how to get cus- tomers to listen when they dont even know they want the product. Three young musicians-Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and David Byrne-bound together by the desire to write and play a unique form of music, moved to New York City to follow their dream. Armed with a five-year plan, they spent the first six months watching other bands perform at CBGB (a local, progressive club), writing material, learning how to play together, and developing their talents. Once they devel- oped enough songs for a show, Hilly Kristal, owner of CBGB, put them on stage opposite the Ramones, a band to which they have been linked     ever since. "Kristal provided the incubator for bands much like Silicon Valley did for the technology boom a few decades later," says Frantz. The Talking Heads music was different-it appealed to a specific type of audience that at the time was at the fringe of society rather than in the middle of it. Seen as smarties who had been to college, they were oddballs in the world of rock and roll, and knew they could attract a niche of cerebral, intellectual fans. Frantz explains, "We were always pretty good about target marketing. We looked for places that at- tracted people like us and played anyplace we thought would-be fans would be, anyplace we could find a connection with who we thought our audience would be." Their select venues included art galleries and performing arts theaters known for featuring avant garde acts. As each of the bands performing at CBGB got better, the genre of music they were playing became more popular. The bands of the time "schooled" together, deciding that the best way to become noticed, relevant, and accepted in the marketplace would be to band together with others like them and promote their music movement. "We all wanted our form of music to grow, and we were more powerful work- ing toward that goal together than trying to outsell or outdo each other," explains Weymouth. "Together we got more attention from the media and fans and became a part of something bigger than what any of us would have been individually." When it came time to expand beyond New York City, they united with manager Gary Kurfrist, who understood how to organize, oper- ate, and promote concerts, especially among college markets. He identified college towns in which he thought the Talking Heads, the Ramones, Blondie, and other bands would be accepted, and then found students to act as promoters for campus appearances, often simply finding a place on campus and getting some friends there. The Talking Heads would go in first, and then a few weeks later,