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The artist contributes his £25k prize award winnings to independent music venues

The artist holding the award in the North East
Sam Fender was awarded the honor last month in his hometown

The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k award cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.

He was awarded the prize on 16 October as his latest record his work was named the top album of the previous year.

He has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

He also joined in, raising over £100k on his live tour to assist 38 local spots across Britain.

The money helped spaces that were facing imminent closure due to challenges caused by floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Other venues were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and gear that helped performers and fans.

"The idea that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.

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

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

Back when they received the trophy in the mid-90s for their record their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with the media.

In recent years, the band gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Also winners that year they donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.

"Winning was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory affected the lives of others."

Recently, the MVT shared it had protected two local spots in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.

The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.

Written by

Alyssa Frey

Elara Vance is a seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino reviews and strategy development.

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