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The musician gives his £25k prize Mercury Prize to small music venues

The artist holding Mercury Prize in his hometown
He received the Mercury Prize in October in his hometown

The star has donated the full amount of his £25,000 award cash to the MVT, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.

He was given the award on 16 October as his new release the album was declared the outstanding release of the past year.

Fender has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots had in his early career.

"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.

Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 grassroots venues across the UK.

The money supported spaces that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and concertgoers.

"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.

Pulp in concert
Pulp are among the artists who contributed their Mercury Prize winnings to non-profits

Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor funds to charitable organizations.

Back when they earned the prize in 1996 for their record their work, lead singer the singer declared that the group would contribute their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her award between a few good causes, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.

Additionally 1994 winners they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the disease.

"The victory was quite enough," remarked artist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning affected another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued two local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.

The first in the city and The Croft in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by a national body and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the venues.

LM
By

Leah Mata

A seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting strategies and statistical modeling, specializing in UK sports markets.

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