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The artist contributes twenty-five thousand pounds award winnings to small music venues

The artist receiving Mercury Prize in Newcastle
He won the Mercury Prize recently in the North East

The star has given the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's grassroots live music spots.

He was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album the album was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.

Sam Fender also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across Britain.

The donation assisted spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from concerts in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.

Pulp performing
They are one of the many acts who donated their honor prize money to charity

The musician is among several artists to donate his award winnings to charitable organizations.

In Pulp won the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite split her bounty across a few organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist shared with a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally winners that year M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.

"The victory was ample," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected two small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.

One venue in that area and the other in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the properties.

By

Lisa King

Astrophysicist and science communicator with a passion for making complex space concepts accessible to all.

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