Oregon musicians feel cut off from one another, and Salem was one of seven cities where nonprofit MusicOregon heard that message during a statewide listening tour in May.

The Portland-based organization held sessions May 16–23 in Hood River, Tillamook, Salem, Eugene, Jacksonville, Bend and Pendleton, according to a blog post by Cheri Jamison, co-chair of MusicOregon's Music Advocacy Council. Online sessions were also offered.

About 130 musicians, venue operators, sound engineers and other music professionals participated statewide, according to Jefferson Public Radio. The strongest turnout was in Southern Oregon, where 36 people attended the Jacksonville session. MusicOregon has not released an attendance figure for the Salem stop.

Isolation topped every session.

Board president Tim Wilson said disconnection was the tour's biggest takeaway. "The biggest thing that was sort of global — not just in Jacksonville, but across the state — was the extent to which people feel disconnected from other musicians and venues and studios and other music businesses in other parts of the state," Wilson said in a Sept. 5 Jefferson Public Radio report.

Jamison described the sessions as "conversation-first spaces" with "no presentations, no set agenda" in her June 17 post. She wrote that in nearly every session, participants introduced themselves to someone they had never met, despite working in the same community. Musicians exchanged contact information with venue operators, and festival organizers discovered potential collaborators.

Participants in smaller communities said they often feel overlooked in statewide conversations, Jamison wrote. Simply showing up, she said, created trust in ways no survey or email campaign could.

MusicOregon is weighing several responses, including a statewide directory of musicians and venues, regional gatherings, advocacy efforts and broader access to professional resources, according to Jefferson Public Radio. The organization also identified opportunities for Oregon's music and tourism industries to work together.

MusicOregon merged with MusicPortland in January 2026, a move Wilson said eliminated overlapping work as nonprofit arts funding declined.

Jamison wrote that a full report on the tour's findings was expected in July. As of Sept. 21, no public release has been announced. OPB's "Think Out Loud" featured Wilson on Sept. 18 to discuss what the organization learned.

Still open: Music professionals who missed the tour can share input through MusicOregon's online survey at musicoregon.org/survey.