The musician donates his £25k prize cash award to small music venues

Sam Fender holding Mercury Prize in Newcastle
He was awarded the Mercury Prize last month in the North East

The star has donated the entirety of his £25,000 honor prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to save the UK's small music venues.

Fender was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.

He has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.

Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his recent tour to support numerous local spots across Britain.

These funds helped venues that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues received funding support in modernizing facilities and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The concept that money from performances in big venues supports the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.

Pulp on stage
They are among the artists who contributed their Mercury Prize prize money to charity

The musician is far from the only musician to donate his honor winnings to charitable organizations.

In they won the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would contribute their winnings to the charity the charity.

In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite divided her prize between multiple good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she shared with outlets.

In recent years, the band gave their funds to the community center that supported their band, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally winners that year they contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.

"The victory was ample," said vocalist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."

Last week, the MVT announced it had rescued a couple of small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.

The first in Southampton and The Croft in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.

Devin Sullivan
Devin Sullivan

Environmental advocate and writer passionate about sustainable living and natural wellness.