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The musician donates twenty-five thousand pounds cash award to grassroots concert halls

The artist holding his trophy in his hometown
He received the prestigious award recently in Newcastle

The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the Britain's independent live music spots.

Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the performances I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.

These funds supported locations that were facing possible closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.

Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that helped artists and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.

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

Fender is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

When Pulp earned the prize in 1996 for their album their work, vocalist Cocker declared that the act would give their cash to the charity the charity.

During 2002, musician the artist shared her bounty between multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.

Previously, the band donated their winnings to the community center that developed their act, as well as other independent music bodies.

Additionally winners that year the group contributed their prize to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.

"The victory was quite enough," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected the lives of others."

Last week, the MVT announced it had protected a couple of small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.

The Joiners in Southampton and the second in the city were purchased under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "shares" in the venues.

Written by

Jacqueline Hickman

Jasper de Vries is a seasoned gaming enthusiast and content creator, sharing insights on online casino trends and strategies.

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