Sam Fender donates his £25k prize cash award to independent live spaces
The star has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
He was given the prize on October 16 as his latest record his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages had in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported locations that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and gear that positively impacted artists and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his award winnings to good deeds.
Back when they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would give their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, musician the artist divided her prize among multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients the group donated their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked singer Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had saved two grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
One venue in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.