Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which works to preserve the Britain's independent concert spaces.
Fender was given the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his live tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.
These funds assisted locations that were facing imminent closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his award prize money to good deeds.
Back when they received the trophy in 1996 for their record their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would donate their winnings to the charity the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer she shared her prize across a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," the artist told the media.
Two years ago, the band donated their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated artist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had protected two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in that location were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
