Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25k award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the Britain's small live music spots.
Fender was given the cheque on 16 October as his new release People Watching was named the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his live tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds helped locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Some locations received financial assistance in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The notion that funds from concerts in big venues backs the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
During 2002, musician she split her award among multiple good causes, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she told outlets.
In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated artist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success impacted another person's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had protected two small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.
