Tycho and ISO50: How Scott Hansen Blends Music and Visual Art in Web3

Scott Hansen, better known by his musical alias Tycho and visual art brand ISO50, stands at the crossroads of digital creativity. His work combines electronic music production with visual art to create a multi-sensory experience that has found new expression through blockchain in the NFT space.

Key Takeaways

Scott Hansen operates dual creative personas: Tycho for music and ISO50 for visual design, with a 20-year history of blending these mediums
His “Element” NFT collection launched in April 2021, featuring looping audiovisual experiences paired with unreleased music tracks
Hansen entered the NFT space during the 2021 market peak with a focus on long-term utility rather than speculation
The collection featured innovative technical elements including 3D-mapped photocomposites and seamless audio-visual loops
Hansen views NFTs as a way to transform ephemeral digital content into permanent, community-owned media

The Dual Creative Identity of Scott Hansen

For over 20 years Scott Hansen has built a unique creative ecosystem through his dual identities: ISO50 for visual work and Tycho for music. Instead of keeping these separate he has chosen to blend them together, with ISO50 being the visual operating system that powers Tycho’s music. This synergy has earned him significant recognition in both fields, including two Grammy nominations for Best Electronic/Dance Album as Tycho and prestigious design awards like the FWA Award for ISO50.

Hansen’s portfolio at ISO50 documents his work since 2001, showcasing album artwork and visual design not only for his own musical projects but also for other artists like Pretty Lights. This long-standing commitment to audio-visual synchronicity prepared him perfectly for the NFT space, where multimedia experiences hold special value.

The Groundbreaking “Element” NFT Collection

In April 2021, Hansen made his blockchain debut with the “Element” collection on Nifty Gateway. This pioneering project featured four distinct scenes, each pairing unreleased musical tracks with animations created in collaboration with Michael McAfee. The collection was structured as three open editions plus a special 1/1 auction piece that included lifetime VIP access to Tycho shows, a studio tour, and a signed print—demonstrating Hansen’s focus on creating tangible, long-term value for collectors.

The Element pieces are best described as meditative, looping audiovisual experiences designed to mirror the immersive nature of Tycho’s live performances. Hansen faced significant technical challenges in creating these pieces, particularly in achieving seamless looping of both audio and video components and implementing 3D-mapped photo composites. One track, “Outer Sunset (Stripped),” was composed specifically for the NFT collection, highlighting Hansen’s commitment to creating original content for this new medium.

By the time of release, the collection had achieved impressive initial adoption: 205 editions minted with 171 unique owners, and 29 pieces sold (representing 14.1% of the supply).

Tycho’s NFT Entry Timing

Hansen entered the NFT space in 2021 at the peak of the market when total sales volume was $25 billion according to Academy of Animated Art. This timing would prove to be significant as the market would later contract by 90% by 2023 according to Blockworks. Despite this volatility, long-term projections remain optimistic, with forecasts ranging from $264.6 billion by 2032 (28.7% CAGR) to $745.4 billion by 2034 (39.4% CAGR).

Collectibles dominated 32.6% of the NFT market in 2024, with North America leading at a 34.3% market share and $9.2 billion in revenue. Hansen’s multimedia approach aligned perfectly with broader market trends, as 70.4% of NFT sales in 2024 involved digital assets that combine visual and experiential elements.

What distinguished Hansen’s approach from many contemporaries was his emphasis on utility and artistic value rather than speculative trading. While many artists and platforms rushed to capitalize on the NFT boom with minimal consideration for long-term value, Hansen’s careful integration of VIP experiences and original content demonstrated a more sustainable approach.

Tokenizing Ephemeral Experiences

One of the coolest things about Hansen’s NFT view is tokenizing ephemeral content. He wants to turn Instagram video content that would otherwise be lost forever into community-owned media. This is a whole new way for artists to store and share their work.

Hansen’s community engagement showed he was all in. He did AMAs (Ask Me Anything) in big Web3 communities like Friends With Benefits and Gremlins Discord to explain his NFT vision and gather feedback from potential collectors. He was direct with his audience in the blockchain space.

Hansen’s Web3 Vision

Looking ahead Hansen has plans to tokenise more of his music and visual work. This could include tokenised concert visuals, interactive experiences and potentially generative art tied to live performances. This direction treats NFTs not merely as digital collectibles but as a technological framework for creating deeper connections between artist and audience.

Hansen’s approach treats ISO50 as an overarching creative system that can express itself through both traditional and Web3 channels. This holistic view allows him to experiment with blockchain technology without abandoning the established platforms and methods that have built his audience over two decades.

By focusing on capturing “permanent moments” through NFTs, Hansen offers a compelling alternative to the typically ephemeral nature of promotional content in the music industry. This permanence, combined with community ownership, points toward a potential future where the relationship between artists and their supporters is fundamentally transformed by blockchain technology.

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