Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 award winnings to the MVT, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
He was given the award on mid-October as his new release People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages played in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I did around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Recently, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The money assisted locations that were facing possible closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
He is far from the only musician to donate his honor funds to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the prize in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the group would give their cash to the organization the charity.
During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite split her bounty across several good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," the artist shared with the media.
In recent years, they donated their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Also winners that year they gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," stated vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected two local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
