🔗 Share this article

Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's small live music spots.

He was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his new release the album was chosen as the top album of the previous year.

The musician has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots played in his beginning days.

"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.

He also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 small stages across the UK.

The donation assisted locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and fans.

"The concept that revenue from concerts in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.

Fender is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to good deeds.

When they received the award in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker declared that the band would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite shared her award among multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.

Two years ago, they gave their funds to the local youth club that developed their band, as well as other independent music bodies.

Also the 1994 recipients they contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched the lives of others."

In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of small stages in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The first in Southampton and The Croft in the city were bought under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.