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The artist contributes £25,000 Mercury Prize to grassroots live spaces

Sam Fender accepting Mercury Prize in the North East
He received the honor in October in the North East

The artist has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the Britain's grassroots live music spots.

The star was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his third album his work was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his beginning days.

"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.

Fender also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds supported locations that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.

Other venues received monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The concept that money from shows in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

Pulp members in concert
The group are among the artists who contributed their Mercury Prize funds to good causes

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

When Pulp earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would donate their prize money to the non-profit the charity.

In 2002, artist the artist shared her prize among a few organizations, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite told the media.

Two years ago, they donated their winnings to the youth organization that supported their act, alongside other local music groups.

Additionally the 1994 recipients they donated their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.

"The victory was ample," said singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted another person's life."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected several small stages in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.

One venue in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.

About the author

Matthew Mccarthy

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and consumer electronics.

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