The artist gives his £25k prize cash award to small music venues
The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
The star was awarded the prize on October 16 as his new release his work was named the top album of the previous year.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part small stages had in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated 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 entire UK sector.
In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
He also participated, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across the UK.
The donation assisted locations that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges arising from water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
The musician is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.
When they earned the award in the year 1996 for their album their work, lead singer the singer declared that the group would give their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite divided her prize among several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," she shared with a publication.
Two years ago, they contributed their prize money to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients the group gave their prize to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "shares" in the venues.
