Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the UK's small live music spots.
Fender was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was named the top album of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages played in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds supported spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.
Some locations received monetary aid in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The idea that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his honor funds to good deeds.
Back when the band received the prize in the mid-90s for their album the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would give their prize money to the organization the charity.
During 2002, artist the artist shared her prize across several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," the artist told a publication.
Previously, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally winners that year they donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked artist Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had rescued two local spots in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in the city and The Croft in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "stakes" in the venues.
