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The musician donates £25,000 cash award to independent concert halls

Sam Fender holding his trophy in Newcastle
He was awarded the honor in October in Newcastle

The artist has given the full amount of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which works to preserve the Britain's independent music venues.

The star was given the award on October 16 as his latest record his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.

Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his early career.

"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.

Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his live tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

The donation assisted spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to issues caused by water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.

Pulp in concert
They are among the artists who donated their honor funds to non-profits

He is far from the only musician to give his award winnings to worthy causes.

When they won the prize in the year 1996 for their release the album, vocalist the singer stated that the act would contribute their cash to the organization War Child.

During 2002, musician the artist shared her prize across several organizations, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.

In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other independent music bodies.

Also 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the illness.

"The victory was ample," said singer Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted the lives of others."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The first in Southampton and The Croft in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.

The writer

Betty Carroll

A passionate traveler and writer, sharing insights from over 50 countries to help others discover the beauty of global exploration.

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