Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the MVT, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was named the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function small stages played in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The money supported locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received funding support in upgrading amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when they received the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would give their winnings to the organization the charity.
That year, artist she shared her award across a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist explained to outlets.
Previously, the band contributed their funds to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
Additionally winners that year M People contributed their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had saved two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.
