🔗 Share this article

The star has given the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which functions to protect the UK's independent live music spots.

He was presented with the award on 16 October as his third album the album was declared the best record of the past year.

Fender has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.

In the last year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money assisted locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Some locations were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The idea that revenue from shows in big venues helps the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

The musician is far from the only musician to donate his award funds to worthy causes.

When the band received the award in the mid-90s for their album the album, frontman the singer stated that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, artist the artist divided her bounty between a few charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told outlets.

Two years ago, the band contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

And 1994 winners the group gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.

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

Recently, the trust revealed it had protected several local spots in the South East, by placing them under local control.

The Joiners in that area and The Croft in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the buildings.