Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
Fender was awarded the prize on October 16 as his third album People Watching was named the best record of the previous year.
He has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 local spots across the UK.
The donation supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from performances in major spaces backs the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," the star has said.
He is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
In they received the award in the mid-90s for their record their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would give their prize money to the charity the charity.
In 2002, artist she divided her award among multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she shared with a publication.
In recent years, the band gave their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also winners that year they donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was ample," remarked singer Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued two local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
