Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the UK's grassroots live music spots.
The star was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album People Watching was named the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
Recently, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his recent tour to assist 38 small stages across Britain.
The money assisted spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues caused by flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations were granted funding support in improving amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and fans.
"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor winnings to good deeds.
In they earned the award in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the group would contribute their cash to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty between several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted another person's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had saved several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by a national body and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
