🔗 Share this article

Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which operates to save the UK's independent concert spaces.

The star was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages had in his beginning days.

"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.

Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across the UK.

The money helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges caused by floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Some locations were granted funding support in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from shows in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

He is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.

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

In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds 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 a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally the 1994 recipients M People gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the disease.

"Winning was ample," said vocalist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success touched the lives of others."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.

One venue in Southampton and The Croft in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.