Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the trust for venues, which works to save the Britain's small concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was named the top album of the past year.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots played in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to support 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and audiences.
"The notion that funds from shows in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
He is among several artists to contribute his honor winnings to good deeds.
In they received the prize in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would give their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, artist the artist split her prize across a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," the artist shared with a publication.
Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the community center that supported their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated singer Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success affected the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had protected several small stages in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the venues.
