Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's small live music spots.
He was presented with the award on October 16 as his third album the album was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The money supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations were granted financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and audiences.
"The idea that funds from performances in large arenas supports the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his honor funds to good deeds.
Back when Pulp earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their album their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty among multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," she told a publication.
Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their band, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients the group gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had saved two local spots in that region, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in that area and the second in the city were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.
