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The musician gives his £25k prize Mercury Prize to grassroots music venues

The artist accepting Mercury Prize in the North East
The musician won the Mercury Prize recently in the North East

The star has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's small music venues.

He was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album the album was named the top album of the past year.

The musician has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots played in his early career.

"I would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

Recently, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.

He also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist 38 local spots across Britain.

These funds helped venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.

Other venues were granted monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.

"The idea that revenue from concerts in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has said.

Pulp members on stage
The group are among the artists who contributed their award prize money to charity

He is far from the only musician to donate his award funds to good deeds.

When they earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their release their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her award among a few good causes, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

And winners that year they contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the condition.

"The victory was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected somebody else's life."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several local spots in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.

The first in Southampton and the other in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.

JT
By

John Taylor

Technology enthusiast and digital strategist with over a decade of experience in IT and content creation.

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