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The musician donates his £25k prize award winnings to independent music venues

Sam Fender holding his trophy in Newcastle
The musician received the Mercury Prize recently in Newcastle

The star has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the Britain's independent concert spaces.

He was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

He has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots had in his early career.

"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.

Sam Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across the UK.

The donation supported venues that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and concertgoers.

"The concept that funds from performances in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has said.

Pulp members in concert
They are one of the many acts who gave their Mercury Prize winnings to non-profits

Fender is not the first artist to give his honor funds to good deeds.

When the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist the singer stated that the group would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty among a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," the artist told the media.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.

"The victory was ample," remarked vocalist Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success touched the lives of others."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under local control.

One venue in Southampton and The Croft in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.

The writer

Lindsey Nelson

A passionate full-stack developer with over 8 years of experience in creating dynamic web applications and mentoring aspiring coders.

WebDev.edu.pl

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