Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's independent music venues.
The star was presented with the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the last 12 months.
He has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped venues that were dealing with possible closure due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving amenities and technical equipment that helped artists and audiences.
"The notion that money from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to give his award winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp received the prize in the year 1996 for their album their work, frontman the singer stated that the band would give their cash to the charity War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist split her award across multiple good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.
Two years ago, the band gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients they gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," said vocalist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had saved two grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in the city and the second in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the venues.
