Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to save the Britain's independent music venues.
Fender was presented with the prize on October 16 as his new release People Watching was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Fender also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges caused by floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Other venues obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
In they earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Cocker announced that the band would donate their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, musician Ms Dynamite split her prize between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she told a publication.
In recent years, the band contributed their funds to the community center that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners they contributed their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked artist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust revealed it had rescued several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
