🔗 Share this article

Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the UK's independent live music spots.

Fender was awarded the prize on 16 October as his latest record the album was declared the top album of the past year.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.

Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation helped venues that were dealing with possible closure due to issues arising from water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.

Other venues were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from performances in big venues supports the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.

He is not the first artist to give his award prize money to worthy causes.

Back when they received the trophy in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the band would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.

That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her bounty among several charities, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," she explained to a publication.

In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the community center that nurtured their group, alongside other local music groups.

Also 1994 winners the group contributed their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.

"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected a couple of local spots in the South East, by bringing them into local control.

One venue in the city and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who purchase "shares" in the venues.