The artist gives £25,000 award winnings to small music venues

The singer holding Mercury Prize in Newcastle
He won the prestigious award in October in his hometown

The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award cash to the MVT, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's small live music spots.

He was given the prize on mid-October as his new release the album was named the top album of the last 12 months.

Fender has decided to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also joined in, generating over £100k on his recent tour to help thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

The donation helped spaces that were facing possible closure due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.

Some locations received monetary aid in improving facilities and gear that helped performers and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.

The band Pulp performing
The group are one of the many acts who gave their honor funds to non-profits

The musician is far from the only musician to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.

Back when Pulp received the award in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist the singer announced that the group would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer she shared her bounty among multiple organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told the media.

In recent years, they gave their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And winners that year they donated their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.

"The victory was ample," said artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."

Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The Joiners in that area and the other in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the venues.

Alexandria Olson
Alexandria Olson

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