Sam Fender contributes £25,000 Mercury Prize to independent live spaces
Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the UK's small music venues.
The star was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his latest record the album was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported locations that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his award funds to charitable organizations.
In they won the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, frontman the singer declared that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist shared her bounty among a few good causes, like the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," the artist shared with the media.
Previously, they donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners they donated their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said artist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust announced it had rescued two local spots in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
One venue in that area and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.