Tate Online entered a fresh phase in July 2006 when a new division, Tate Media, was created in response to the new and diverse ways in which people engage with contemporary culture. Advanced technology has improved how we can view the Collection and film online. This, coupled with an increasing number of people using the web, means that www.tate.org.uk has huge potential to deliver rich, interactive experiences to large and diverse audiences. Over 11 million unique users visited Tate Online in the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.
As a result of this shift in thinking, a number of new projects have launched within this period including Tate Tracks and TateShots. For the former, Tate Modern joined forces with some of the biggest names in the music industry for a project which will produce 12 new pieces of music inspired by works of art on display at Tate Modern. By the end of March 2007, The Chemical Brothers, Roll Deep, Graham Coxon, Klaxons, The Landscapers, Union of Knives and The Real Tuesday Weld had created tracks which were exclusively available in the gallery for the first month and subsequently online for a month.
Tate Shots is a monthly art programme which includes interviews with artists, studio visits, behind-the-scenes tours with curators and conservation experts, and clips of unmissable artist performances. Available online and as a download, it launched in February 2007 and, within weeks, was one of the top podcasts on iTunes. For the launch programme, Gilbert & George invited viewers to a preview of new works in their studio and Mark Wallinger talked about his re-creation of peace campaigner Brian Haw's protest in Parliament Square, State Britain 2006. We captured a sell-out performance by Turner Prize-winner Martin Creed’s band and explored the Centre of the Creative Universe exhibition at Tate Liverpool with the poet Paul Farley.
Tate Media commissioned a number of features, some for general broadcast as well as for streamed online content. Among them were the four short films on this year's Turner Prize artists, which were broadcast by Channel Four in December 2006. Other items exclusive to Tate Online included the BT Series, a unique initiative allowing visitors the opportunity to explore works by selected artists, which in 2006 focused on Antony Gormley and Rachel Whiteread. Tate Online continues to enjoy both financial and technical support from BT in a partnership which grows stronger with every year.
Other highlights included the launch of the dedicated Young Tate microsite which offers a programme of art-related activities for young people aged between 13 and 25. New commissions in our continuing programme of net art included The Art of Sleep 2006, which was commissioned by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries in 2006 to coincide with the opening of the Frieze Art Fair in London, and Watercouleur Park 2007, commissioned from French artists group Qubo Gas in early 2007.
With its enhanced microsites and search facilities, we recognise that Tate Online provides a vital information portal for students, teachers and visitors before and after trips to the galleries. In March 2007, the average time each user spent browsing Tate Online was 16 minutes, a significant increase on previous years and an indication of the importance of the content we provide. Equally, 17% of Tate Modern visitors used the website before coming to the gallery, and in providing accurate information in a creative format we can greatly enhance visits to the galleries. Work has included dedicated microsites for many exhibitions, including Holbein in England, International 06, Turner Prize 2006, Gilbert & George: Major Exhibition and Hogarth, as well as the launch of a new Explore Tate Modern feature, which has already proved very popular.
This continuing innovation has been recognised in more awards for Tate Online this year. The BT Series won the silver prize for web TV at the International Visual Communications Association Awards and the Hitwise Online Performance Award for achieving the number-one ranking in the entertainment – arts category. In addition, Tate Online was short-listed for a Webby Award for The Dumpster in the net art category.
