The musician donates twenty-five thousand pounds award winnings to independent live spaces

The singer holding the award in Newcastle
He received the Mercury Prize last month in the North East

The artist has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.

The star was awarded the award on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.

Fender has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.

"I would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.

He also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

The money helped spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues were granted financial assistance in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The idea that revenue from performances in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.

Pulp in concert
The group are one example who gave their Mercury Prize winnings to good causes

He is not the first artist to donate his award funds to good deeds.

When the band received the prize in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer she split her award between several good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she shared with the media.

In recent years, the band donated their winnings to the local youth club that developed their group, as well as other local music groups.

And 1994 winners they donated their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.

"The victory was sufficient," said vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning affected the lives of others."

Recently, the trust revealed it had saved two local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

One venue in the city and the second in the city were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.

Christian Johnson
Christian Johnson

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in online gaming, specializing in slot machine reviews and player strategy development.