Ask the team · Bywater, New Orleans
A guest story · July 2025
The listening party playbook.
How E.T. Deaux ran the Adult Swimming III release: an 80-person, golf-themed night at The Cocodrie.
Editor's note: In July 2025, rapper E.T. Deaux released Adult Swimming III, the third album in his summer sports series: swimming, tennis, and now golf. The invite-only listening party for around 80 people was at The Cocodrie. This is how he ran it.
For the release, E.T. wanted an invite-only listening party for friends and collaborators, golf-themed end to end, for around 80 people.
He booked The Cocodrie for two nights. The artist and a small group of close friends stayed at the villa overnight; the rest of the guests went home after the show. Everything happened at the villa: the listening, the food, the bar, the activities, and brunch the next morning.
The night at a glance
Step 1
A villa as the venue.
The full album showing was in The Cocodrie's living room: video on, the audience seated and standing through the room. The room held all 80 people.
Booking a villa instead of a music venue meant E.T. set everything himself: the lighting, where the merch went, the bar setup, and the flow between rooms.
Guests also got a night at the villa, which fit the album. The Adult Swimming series describes itself as “luxury leisure for all.”
Step 2
Lean into the album's theme.
Adult Swimming III is the golf entry in E.T.'s summer sports series, so the event was golf-themed. A golf cart was brought in. Golf games were set up for guests to play between the listening and the hangouts. Album merch was on display and for sale all evening.
The theming gave guests something to do besides stand around with a drink: the merch table, the golf cart, the games.
Step 3
Friend vendors handled the rest.
E.T. used friends as vendors. Food: brisket from Oh Boy Po'Boys, a friend's New Orleans po'boy shop, which fed 80 people with no plated dinner to schedule around. Bar: Adriana, a friend and bartender, with custom drinks themed to the album. Merch table: run in-house, with album items for guests to buy on the spot.
A music venue would have charged markups or restricted outside vendors. At the villa, guests may book any vendor they like, and vendors come to the villa.
Step 4
Build in a recovery day.
E.T. booked The Cocodrie for two nights, not one. Setup and photos the day before, then the listening party. The next day was a recovery day for the artist and the small group that stayed overnight: brunch, coffee, and cleanup.
Nobody had to clean up at 2 AM. Cleanup happened the next day. Check-out is 11 AM, and late check-out at 1 PM is free when the calendar allows.
Why this setup worked.
The villa as the venue
No event-space rental and no limits on theming. The living room handled 80 people for a full album showing.
Friend vendors
Brisket from a friend's shop, Adriana on the bar, merch run in-house. No venue markups.
A recovery day
Booking two nights meant E.T. and the core team did not have to clean up the same night.
Theming
The golf cart, the games, and the merch table gave guests something to do between the music.
Privacy
The grounds are fenced and the guest list was invite-only.
If you are an artist, label, or creative team planning an album release, listening party, or private launch event: the living room fits a full album showing for 80, you pick the theming and the vendors, and a second night covers the cleanup.
For a release event of your own, ask the team with your guest count and format.
Booking
Book one villa for the event.
One villa, your vendors, your theme, and 17 beds for the ones who stay over.
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