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The artist contributes £25,000 Mercury Prize to small music venues

Sam Fender holding the award in Newcastle
He was awarded the honor recently in his hometown

The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k award prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to save the UK's independent concert spaces.

He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release his work was declared the best record of the past year.

He has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his initial steps.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

He also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds assisted locations that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Additional spaces received financial assistance in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that revenue from performances in big venues backs the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.

Pulp performing
Pulp are one example who gave their award prize money to charity

He is among several artists to donate his honor winnings to good deeds.

When the band earned the award in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would give their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

That year, artist Ms Dynamite split her prize among a few charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she told the media.

Previously, the band donated their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Also 1994 winners they donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," remarked singer Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

In the past week, the trust shared it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.

The first in Southampton and the second in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the venues.

About the author

Danny Morrison

Aria Chen is a tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on society.

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