When the Deedot Ocean Lounge at Laboma Beach in Accra re-opens on September 14, 2025 after some exhaustive refurbishment, the venue is bound to become the most welcoming and go-to venue for many Ghanaian musicians, especially the up-and-coming ones.
The reason is simple: Deedot Ocean Lounge, under the proprietorship of music lover Dorothy Hagan, is set to log every song it plays and make royalty payments to the owners at the end of every month.
“We have acquired a special software which allows us to upload the music and play it anytime we want. The number of times a song is played is recorded. At the end of each month, artistes can walk in for their money. No go-and-come business involved. But the artistes must first bring us their music. It is that simple,” says the Dorothy Hagan.
Deedot Ocean Lounge has been in existence for a few years but it closed a few months to get the place enhanced. It has been known for mainly playing African classics but it has now opened the door wide for up-and-coming acts to bring in their music and make something whenever it is played.
That is a pleasant departure from the widely-prevailing scenario where music creators are often requested at radio and television stations to pay some amounts to get their music aired.
In Dorothy Hagan’s my estimation, Ghana is not friendly to music artistes as their creativity is constantly exploited at drinking spots, beach bars, supermarkets and on radio and television but for which they make almost nothing.
“It is a fact that the music royalty system in this country is not working. Artistes die in poverty whilst their music is played all over. I know many artistes, both established and up-and-coming ones, are dissatisfied with the music royalty situation here,” Dorothy Hagan asserts.
“They have talked and re-talked about it so we at Deedot Ocean Lounge are making a genuine gesture to help ease their distress. Music is an integral part of our lives and those who create it must be adequately looked after.”
So the renovated Deedot Ocean Lounge re-opens on September 14 with the music package that it hopes would stir some useful conversation in music circles.
