Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
He was given the prize on mid-October as his latest record his work was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported venues that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from concerts in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is among several artists to donate his award winnings to good deeds.
When they won the trophy in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the charity the charity.
In 2002, musician she split her bounty between multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told the media.
In recent years, the band donated their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.
"Winning was ample," said singer the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in that area and the second in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
