🔗 Share this article The artist contributes his £25k prize Mercury Prize to independent concert halls The musician received the honor in October in the North East The artist has handed over the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the UK's small live music spots. Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his latest record the album was chosen as 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 played in his early career. "I couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the shows I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling." Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector. Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports independent venues. He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK. The donation helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints. Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that helped musicians and concertgoers. "The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has stated. The group are one of the many acts who gave their Mercury Prize prize money to good causes The musician is not the first artist to donate his award winnings to good deeds. When Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, lead singer the singer declared that the band would contribute their winnings to the organization War Child. In 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her bounty among multiple charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization. "And I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," she explained to outlets. In recent years, they contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations. Additionally the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness. "Winning was quite enough," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted somebody else's life." In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership. The first in Southampton and The Croft in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.