Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k honor prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
He was presented with the prize on mid-October as his new release the album was named the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to help thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The money assisted spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained funding support in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from concerts in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
Fender is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.
When they won the award in 1996 for their album their work, frontman Cocker announced that the act would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.
That year, rapper and singer she divided her award between several charities, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she explained to the media.
Two years ago, the band contributed their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.
Also 1994 winners they donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was ample," stated artist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."
Recently, the MVT announced it had rescued several small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
The first in the city and the other in the city were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "shares" in the venues.
