The musician gives twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to small music venues

The artist receiving the award in the North East
The musician won the honor recently in Newcastle

The star has donated the full amount of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the Britain's small music venues.

The star was awarded the award on 16 October as his third album the album was declared the top album of the last 12 months.

He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages played in his beginning days.

"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.

Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across the UK.

The money assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and fans.

"The concept that money from shows in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

Pulp members on stage
They are among the artists who gave their award funds to good causes

He is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.

When the band earned the award in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist Cocker declared that the band would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer she divided her award between multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.

In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the community center that developed their band, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.

"Winning was ample," stated artist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success affected another person's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected a couple of local spots in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.

Jennifer Hughes
Jennifer Hughes

A software engineer and tech writer specializing in AI applications and modern web frameworks, with over 8 years of industry experience.