Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.
The donation supported locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces supports the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is not the first artist to give his honor winnings to good deeds.
Back when they earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.
In 2002, musician she divided her bounty between several organizations, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked singer Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the MVT shared it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The first in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
