BBOX is a volunteer-run, freeform, internet radio station that calls a recycled shipping container in Downtown Brooklyn, home. Read more
BBOX is a volunteer-run, freeform, internet radio station that calls a recycled shipping container in Downtown Brooklyn, home.
About this project
Brooklyn's Boombox
Dear Kickstarter Supporter,
Welcome to BBOX Radio. We are a freeform internet radio station that calls a recycled shipping container in Downtown Brooklyn, home. BBOX is owned, operated, and run by the Brooklyn community, and, with your help, will be broadcast live to the world online.
Here's a sampling of BBOX Radio for you while you check out our Kickstarter.
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We got our start three months ago when the BBOX team won a competition that asked to repurpose a shipping container in the new, outdoor, Dekalb Market. We designed BBOX as something more than just an internet radio station.
We are a live performance venue, with space to accommodate hundreds of people for concerts, screenings, performances... events of any kind. BBOX is also a gallery space curated by our exhibit designers that can display the work of Brooklyn artists to crowds visiting the Dekalb Market. BBOX is a place where you can interact with show hosts, hear great music, meet people, and spark spontaneous collaborations.
The competition gave us a foundation to build on. Now we have a roster of original programming, developed from an open call to Brooklyn and New York City, that broadcasts live at the market. Your pledges will bring BBOX Radio's shows online.
What will BBOX Radio have to offer? Check out Afrika21 for 21st century music from the African continent. Listen to Unicorn Pudding for some magical rock and roll. Play The Many Sides of Green for discussions on urban sustainability in Brooklyn and beyond. Underground hip hop comes at you via The ZRO Hour, a venerable podcast that's made the jump to BBOX Radio. And Filmwax talks films, and interviews directors, producers, and actors to compliment its screening series.
We have come to Kickstarter to launch our internet stream, return our friends' microphones, and become, fully, BBOX Radio: The beat of Brooklyn.
The BBOX Radio Community
BBOX Radio broadcasts what Brooklyn is listening to and talking about, and features programs by community partners focused on local culture, education, and news. We are developing radio shows with Carter Magazine and their youth journalists, PenTales and their global storytelling network, and programs featuring the Dekalb Market farmers, artists, designers and chefs.
We now have a passionate, ever-expanding team including 33 hosts for over 20 radio shows and almost 40 volunteers helping with production, events, outreach and design.
What Does it Cost to Run BBOX Radio?
We started BBOX with the winnings of Urban Space's "Not Just A Container" design competition which included $3,000 and six months free rent at the market. That money was quickly gobbled up by building materials and other mundane costs like mandated insurance. But we dug into our pockets, borrowed some equipment from our friends, and put together a Frankensteinian studio that's gotten us by.
Your pledges will take BBOX shows to the next level. That requires setting up our live online radio stream, paying for music royalty costs, and buying equipment for the station, so we can return our friends’ gear.
But a radio station is more than microphones and turntables. We hope to become a Brooklyn institution. That takes continued dedication and resources. While we have dedication, in a few months our resources will disappear. You can get BBOX on the air, and keep it there.
$15,000 is a great start. But if the BBOX Kickstarter surpasses that goal, we can plan farther into the future and offer more ambitious content. Our production team can do more with shows and events. We can bring you the acts you want to hear. And all of this will be broadcast online, so you can take part whether you are in Brooklyn or not.
To see a further breakdown of our startup costs, see the FAQ below.
Where Do I Come In?
Whether you are local or not, your support will make you a big part of BBOX Radio's journey. Together, we can take the final steps to turn BBOX into Brooklyn's internet radio station, built to last.
Before BBOX Radio and the Dekalb Market, on our patch of Brooklyn stood the Albee Square Mall. The mall was more than a shopping destination for sneakers and records, it was also a hub of culture and community interaction. It was where Brooklyn came together. That history informs BBOX Radio, and it is the idea we strive to live up to.
Listen to BBOX Radio online, talk to us and our DJs and hosts on our website, and let us know your thoughts. If you're in Brooklyn or New York, come visit us -- BBOX is for you. And thank you, in advance, for your generosity and interest in BBOX Radio. We can't wait for you to hear what we have in store.
Join us. Let's create a new kind of radio station!
FAQ
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For one, BBOX is working with organizations like Carter Magazine to develop a programming series organized and run by Brooklyn youth. Carter is an innovative, online-only publication that puts Brooklyn high-school students in the driver's seat writing feature stories, and interviewing icons of the Brooklyn community, for their magazine. We are developing an affiliated radio programs with Carter and other like-minded organizations, that will bring the voices of Brooklyn's youth to the air.
BBOX Radio channels what Brooklyn is listening to and talking about, and features programs by community partners and about local culture, education, and news. Shows like the Many Shades of Green are interviewing community figures like Marilyn Gelber, the president of the Brooklyn community foundation.
We have brought BBOX to Brooklyn Historical Society. We are developing radio shows with Carter Magazine and their youth journalists, PenTales and their global storytelling network, and programs featuring the Dekalb Market farmers, artists, designers and chefs
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We're in Downtown Brooklyn, on the site of the old Albee Square Mall; an outpost for the Brooklyn community and for music and culture. Albee Square is gone, but it was always in mind as we developed BBOX Radio. More specifically, we're located right here: http://www.bboxradio.com/visit
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Why not? If you're interested in a show on BBOX, take a look at our show submission form here: http://www.bboxradio.com/show-submissions You'll need a demo, and a well thought out idea for a show, so take some time and give it your best shot. We look forward to hearing from you!
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We hope to expand quickly as the resources become available to produce additional shows. That's where you can help!
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Listen to? Yes. Download? No -- that's where the lawyers come in ;-)
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Heck no! Well, let's say it's *evolving* and that we are part of that evolution -- An online radio station that you can visit and interact with if you're local, or listen to from your computer or mobile device, if you're not.
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Real-time Audio/Video Streaming - $3150: With a dedicated streaming computer, remote streaming server, and reliable Internet connection, we’ll be able to bring live audio and video straight from the BBOX studio to your personal computer or mobile device. Whether you’re around the corner or across the world, you’ll be able to conveniently access BBOX content, on your terms, without missing a moment.
Royalties - $1500: Many of our shows feature the work of other incredible artists. We want to make sure everyone gets the compensation they deserve.
In-studio Interview Equipment - $2000: Shows like The Many Shades of Green, The ZRO Hour, Filmwax Radio, Food Nation, The Dark Comedy Hour, and the Radio Theater show we have in development rely on quality microphones and audio leveling equipment to capture their interviews properly.
Audio Production/Editing Equipment - $2000: Production equipment and software allow us to edit our shows and create our station IDs and bumpers. With the resources in-studio, we’ll be able to offer them to show hosts that may not have access elsewhere. We’re also working on a youth radio program in conjunction with our friends at Carter Magazine that will give high school students experience with professional sound production tools.
Field Recording Equipment - $1500: Our goal is to highlight as much of the Brooklyn community as possible, and bring it directly into the studio. Sometimes in order to bring you the best stories, we’ll need to go out in to the streets to report. Our field equipment will ensure the same quality levels can be expected whether we’re in studio or out on location.
Musical Performance Equipment - $2500: Several of our music shows like Afrika21 will bring related live performances to the BBOX event space. We are also planning a concert series for the local bands who drop by the box. This equipment will ensure not only a great in-person experience but that we capture those performances and share them with our online audience as well.
Video Recording, Video Projection and Webcam Equipment - $2000: In addition to musical performance, we also have to opportunity to have other types of events that relate to our shows. With our video projection equipment, we’ll be able to screen the films that FilmWax features or display lyrics for Karaoke Killed the Cat. With video recording equipment and a webcam we can simulcast video of off site, on site, and in studio events.
Physical Space Improvement - $2000: In the past two months, we've built our furniture, outfitted the container, and managed to survive Hurricane Irene. But there are still physical improvements we need to make to our box to ensure our equipment is protected and we provide the best acoustic quality possible in our unique environment. At the very least, help us fix our leaky window.
But please don’t stop now! There are continued costs operating BBOX Radio and our show hosts will be able to bring you so much more if we can give them some financial flexibility by helping cover production costs. The more you're able to help us, the more we can bring to you.
Rewards
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Pledge $1 or more
18 backers
Your name and a Thank You on the Supporters Page of the BBOX Radio website.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $10 or more
37 backers
ABOVE + BBOX RADIO STICKER + ALBUM SPONSORSHIP. A custom BBOX Radio sticker to show off on your Trapper Keeper, or what have you, and your name attached to an album in the BBOX Radio library reading "This album is sponsored by (YOUR NAME)."
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $25 or more
55 backers
ABOVE + MP3 OF ORIGINAL BBOX RADIO DJ MIX. An exclusive, digitally-delivered MP3 of original music and mix from a BBOX Radio DJ.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $50 or more
48 backers
ABOVE + BBOX RADIO T-SHIRT. Show your support the American way! Via T-shirt!
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $75 or more
7 backers
ABOVE + BBOX RADIO TOTE BAG. It can fit LPs! Hand-screen printed by friends of the BBOX team.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $100 or more
15 backers
ABOVE + ORIGINAL BBOX ART, LIKE A FLAVA FLAV STYLE BBOX MEDALLION AND CHAIN. The BBOX medallion is team-designed and laser cut plexiglass or wood (your choice). It is big, gaudy, and awesome. If that's not your thing, expect BBOX's artists and designers to put together some very slick boombox themed art.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $150 or more
11 backers
ABOVE + STATION ID + AN INVITATION FOR YOU AND FRIENDS TO A BBOX RADIO PARTY. Take your friends out to BBOX for a party in donors' honor at this level. BBOX DJ's will turn it out! Plus, record a BBOX Radio station ID in your own voice. It'll be played over and over, letting people know they're tuned into BBOX Radio.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $200 or more
7 backers
ALL LEVELS UP TO AND INCLUDING $150 + UNDERWRITE AN INSTALLMENT OF BBOX RADIO SHOW. "This hour of BBOX Radio is brought to you by...YOU!"
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $300 or more
4 backers Limited (1 left of 5)
ALL LEVELS UP TO AND INCLUDING $150 + YOUR OWN HOUR ON BBOX RADIO. An hour show, music-focused, and co-hosted with a BBOX DJ. You will receive a recording of your show, broadcast live online, and you can be lifetime Facebook friends with the BBOX DJ.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $400 or more
2 backers Limited (18 left of 20)
ALL LEVELS UP TO AND INCLUDING $150 + PRIVATE KARAOKE PARTY W/ UP TO 4 FRIENDS -or- THE SACRED SITES OF BROOKLYN MUSIC TOUR W/ LUNCH AT BBOX -or- 2 HOUR SALSA LESSON FOR UP TO 5 PEOPLE W/ PRIVATE DJ. Sing your guts out with your friends, see where Biggie delivered his famous freestyle, or get your dance on with BBOX's brilliant salsa instructor. [Limit 5 each, Local Only]
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Pledge $600 or more
2 backers
ALL LEVELS UP TO AND INCLUDING $150 + Work with BBOX producers to create a custom 30-second spot for your band, company, party, or anything you can think of (with BBOX's permission), to be played once daily, during the afternoon, for two weeks of your choosing).
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $1,000 or more
1 backer Limited (6 left of 7)
ALL LEVELS UP TO AND INCLUDING $150 + A two-week exhibit curated by YOU, in the BBOX gallery; with an opening night party including music and refreshments [local donors only] and original silk-screened BBOX Radio poster art personalized for you.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $4,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 left of 1)
ALL LEVELS UP TO AND INCLUDING $150 + The big BBOX boombox, featured in the video, signed by all the BBOX show hosts and team.
Estimated delivery: -
Pledge $5,000 or more
0 backers
ALL LEVELS UP TO AND INCLUDING $150 + Your name tagged on a plaque by a BBOX graffiti artist and hung permanently in the BBOX Radio studio honoring you as a founding donor of BBOX Radio AND a special, gold plated BBOX medallion.
Estimated delivery:
Funding period
- (30 days)
