🔗 Share this article The musician contributes twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to independent live spaces The musician was awarded the prestigious award last month in the North East The star has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the MVT, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots. The star was awarded the prize on October 16 as his third album his work was named the outstanding release of the previous year. He has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part small stages had in his beginning days. "I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the shows I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling." Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK. In the last year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages. He also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across Britain. These funds assisted venues that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues. Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and fans. "The notion that money from shows in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented. Pulp are one of the many acts who gave their Mercury Prize prize money to non-profits Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations. Back when they won the trophy in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child. In 2002, artist the artist split her award among multiple organizations, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell. "Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to the media. Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the community center that developed their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations. Additionally 1994 winners M People donated their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the illness. "Receiving the award was sufficient," said artist the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning affected another person's life." Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship. The Joiners in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the properties.