The artist donates twenty-five thousand pounds cash award to independent concert halls

The singer accepting the award in the North East
The musician was awarded the Mercury Prize in October in his hometown

The star has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.

The star was presented with the prize on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the top album of the previous year.

Fender has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

Sam Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.

These funds helped spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The concept that funds from performances in big venues supports the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.

Pulp in concert
The group are one of the many acts who donated their honor funds to good causes

He is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations.

When the band received the trophy in the mid-90s for their album their work, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite shared her bounty between several organizations, like the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.

In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that supported their act, alongside other local music groups.

Also winners that year M People contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the condition.

"Winning was ample," remarked artist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued several small stages in that region, by bringing them into local control.

The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "shares" in the properties.

David Arellano
David Arellano

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in the UK online casino industry, specializing in slot mechanics and player strategies.

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