The musician gives his £25k prize Mercury Prize to small concert halls
The star has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's independent music venues.
Fender was given the prize on 16 October as his new release People Watching was declared the best record of the past year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported venues that were facing potential shutdown due to issues arising from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations received funding support in improving facilities and gear that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The notion that money from shows in big venues supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.
He is not the first artist to give his honor prize money to good deeds.
When the band earned the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman the singer stated that the band would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her prize between a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," she told a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year M People contributed their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"The victory was ample," said vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
One venue in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
