Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the Britain's small concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his new release People Watching was declared the best record of the past year.
He has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
He also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues caused by flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The idea that money from concerts in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.
He is among several artists to contribute his honor funds to worthy causes.
When the band received the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, frontman the singer announced that the band would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist divided her award between several charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she told a publication.
Two years ago, the band donated their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked singer the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our success touched the lives of others."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
One venue in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
