Skip to content
Jackpot Palace

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

Sam Fender receiving the award in Newcastle
He was awarded the honor last month in the North East

The star has handed over the full amount of his £25k award cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the UK's grassroots live music spots.

He was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his third album his work was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

He has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role local spots played in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Recently, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation assisted locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues caused by water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Additional spaces received financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that helped artists and fans.

"The notion that money from concerts in big venues helps the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.

Pulp members in concert
The group are one of the many acts who gave their award winnings to charity

Fender is not the first artist to contribute his award funds to good deeds.

In they received the prize in the mid-90s for their record the album, lead singer the singer announced that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, musician she split her prize across multiple good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.

Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.

Also winners that year they contributed their award to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the condition.

"Receiving the award was ample," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the trust revealed it had protected a couple of local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.

One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by the arts council and music fans who buy "stakes" in the venues.

About the author

Vincent Edwards

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in gaming strategies and industry trends, passionate about helping players make informed decisions.

Jackpot Palace

Type to search articles.