Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's small music venues.
Fender was awarded the award on 16 October as his third album the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 small stages across Britain.
The donation supported locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues arising from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that helped musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
He is among several artists to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
When Pulp won the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would donate their cash to the charity the charity.
During 2002, musician the artist split her bounty among multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"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 needed updated gear," she shared with a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the community center that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients they gave their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory affected another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued two grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
