The artist donates £25,000 Mercury Prize to independent concert halls

The artist accepting Mercury Prize in the North East
The musician received the honor recently in Newcastle

The artist has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which works to save the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.

The star was awarded the award on October 16 as his third album the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.

The musician has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages played in his beginning days.

"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.

Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous small stages across the UK.

The money supported locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues caused by water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Some locations obtained funding support in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and fans.

"The idea that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.

Pulp members in concert
The group are among the artists who donated their honor prize money to good causes

Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.

In the band won the trophy in the year 1996 for their record their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their cash to the organization the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer she divided her prize across multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required new equipment," she shared with a publication.

Previously, they gave their prize money to the local youth club that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally the 1994 recipients the group gave their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," stated artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success affected somebody else's life."

In the past week, the trust shared it had protected two local spots in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.

The first in that area and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "stakes" in the venues.

Robert Hunter
Robert Hunter

A creative director and digital strategist with over 10 years of experience in branding and web design, passionate about transforming ideas into visual stories.