🔗 Share this article

The artist has handed over the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the Britain's independent concert spaces.

The star was presented with the prize on October 16 as his third album the album was declared the top album of the previous year.

The musician has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.

"I would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

Recently, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.

The money helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained funding support in improving facilities and gear that helped performers and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

He is far from the only musician to contribute his honor funds to good deeds.

When Pulp earned the prize in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would contribute their prize money to the charity the charity.

That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her prize across multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she told a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked singer Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."

Recently, the MVT shared it had protected several grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to local control.

One venue in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the buildings.