Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the UK's grassroots live music spots.
The star was given the award on 16 October as his latest record his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
He also participated, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped spaces that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted artists and fans.
"The concept that revenue from shows in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
In the band won the award in the year 1996 for their record their work, vocalist Cocker declared that the act would give their cash to the charity the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her award between several organizations, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.
In recent years, they gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients they donated their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected two small stages in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the second in the city were acquired under the community ownership program, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
