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The artist contributes twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to grassroots music venues

The artist holding Mercury Prize in Newcastle
The musician won the Mercury Prize last month in his hometown

The artist has given the full amount of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which works to protect the United Kingdom's small live music spots.

The star was awarded the award on 16 October as his new release his work was declared the best record of the past year.

Fender has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.

He also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.

These funds assisted locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.

Additional spaces received monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from shows in big venues supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.

The band Pulp on stage
Pulp are one of the many acts who contributed their honor prize money to non-profits

Fender is not the first artist to contribute his award funds to worthy causes.

When Pulp won the prize in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would contribute their prize money to the charity the charity.

In 2002, rapper and singer she shared her bounty across several good causes, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," the artist told outlets.

Previously, the band donated their winnings to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners the group contributed their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," said artist Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of local spots in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the buildings.

About the author

Samuel Wilson

A software engineer and tech writer passionate about AI ethics and open-source projects, with over a decade of industry experience.

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