Detroit Music Box

The Detroit Music Box is our first application on the CassCo community wireless network! This application is a neighborhood radio station that broadcasts stories and media from people living in the Cass Corridor. The shows combine music from the neighborhood, audio from the streets and interviews with neighbors to make a feature track that asserts an identity and vision for Detroit.

With the rapid development and changes happening in the city, we hope to use this digital space on the mesh network to archive people’s stories and the cultural history of the Cass Corridor. The Detroit Music Box empowers communities to claim this digital space in the midst of gentrification and revitalization.

You can access the Detroit Music Box app on the CassCo wifi network. See the access locations here.

This project was made possible with support from the Knight Arts Challenge.

A man standing at a microphone, laughing, with arms crossed as he tells a story.

One of the storytellers at our Music Box Story Night.

Submit a Story!

We are collecting your stories to broadcast on the Detroit Music Box application.

Do you live in the Cass Corridor? Do you have stories about about the people, places, movements and changes in the Corridor? We want to hear them! Submit an audio piece such as poetry, music, storytelling or any other forms of audio media. It’s easy and you can do it on your phone!

Here’s how:

Send an SMS or MMS (picture message) from your phone to dmb@vojo.co
or call +1 (313) 451-7359 to record your audio story
or email us. If you have longer audio pieces that you would like to submit, send the files to communitytech@gmail.com

We can’t wait to hear your memories, experiences and hopes for the Corridor.

Install a Music Box of Your Own

Music Box is open source! We have put together some installation instructions you can use if you'd like to set up a music box for your own neighborhood.

View and download the instructions
Download the standard installation files

Download the Cass Corridor audio stories:
     All Stories
     Kid Friendly Stories
     Stories with No Explicit Content