Sam Fender gives £25,000 Mercury Prize to independent live spaces

Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the Britain's small concert spaces.

Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was declared the top album of the previous year.

Fender has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages had in his beginning days.

"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.

In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money helped locations that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Other venues were granted financial assistance in improving infrastructure and gear that positively impacted artists and fans.

"The notion that funds from shows in big venues helps the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.

He is among several artists to give his honor funds to worthy causes.

Back when the band earned the trophy in 1996 for their release their work, frontman the singer announced that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit the charity.

During 2002, musician she shared her prize among multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told outlets.

In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that supported their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners M People donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," said artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected a couple of small stages in the South East, by bringing them into local control.

One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.