Sam Fender donates £25,000 award winnings to small live spaces
The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the UK's independent concert spaces.
He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album the album was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
He has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues had in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues caused by flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and gear that positively impacted artists and audiences.
"The idea that funds from shows in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.
He is among several artists to donate his award winnings to charitable organizations.
When Pulp won the prize in the year 1996 for their release the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her bounty among a few charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," she told outlets.
Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients they gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated artist Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and The Croft in that location were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by a national body and supporters who acquire "shares" in the venues.