Bands make their own ringtones with online sources. There is no money there. No real money. Ringtones are given away so how could there be?

FX...Not unless you know someone and you are in a major market where you can network...Again, what kind of money is there for this?

Game industry. Games are getting music from labels. Many of these game companies therefore have label artists produce music so that they can cross market. The big selling games are not using indie production from no name people. Most of them have inhouse studios. Read up in MIX.

You have to be in demand, not your facility. All facilities are basically worthless now. It is the people and their skills.

Voice over work is the bread and butter for alot of people.

Also TV and Radio commerials can pay the bills?

I'm not asking to make quick big money but just money other ways. In regards to the gaming thing, sure you do have the common case of big developers using big record lables, but you cant count out those indie game developers that could (and starting to) get big as well considering it's getting allot easier to program for platforms. I meen look at Volition and some of those cats at Garage Games?

FX:
Again for the Indies, though I somewhat agree with you that not much can be made here unless you got some resources handy, unless (imo) you sell things like atmospheric recordings. I cant see much in regular sfx I meen it's not like I have access to TNT and Shotguns that I can actually sample anyway. Then again, I dont have to do guns and explosives anyway. I could do like punches and knifes. For the experience it's kind of necessary that I do it if I ever want to take up a sound recording position at a game studio...

Ringtones:
Bandtones yeah I don't see much (well not like there's much money in ring tones anyway) but my idea is to charge a fee to do personalized custom ring tones based on our styles. They don't sound like your holding your phone up to your amp or something.

Good Luck in whatever you decide to do.

Today it is all about the person sitting behind the console and or location of your studio and not so much anymore about the equipment or lack thereof.

Some parts of the country are doing very well some not so well.

There are simply too many people DOING recordings and not enough people NEEDING recordings done so the pro studio business is down. Many people are doing their own recording, mixing and mastering so the mastering business is down as well.

The only people who seem to be very busy are the Nationwide retailers who seem to be doing very well at least on the surface and places like Sweetwater and Guitar centers are still expanding. What seems not to be doing so well is the CD replicators, the small to medium recording studios and a lot of mastering houses.

Sony just closed their NYC recording/mastering facilities effective August 31, 2007 and there are thoughts throughout the industry that they are only the first of the majors that is thinking seriously about closing down.

I think you have to take a good hard look at what you are currently doing, where your strengths lie, what you are passionate about and who in your geographical area is having a hard go and who is doing well. Then after you have looked at all of this you will be able to form a better game plan for the future.

I personally think that the small studio that does not have a lot of money invested in equipment and can remain flexible to changing needs are the ones that will still be around in a couple of years. The big studios with lots of overhead and lots of people maybe the dinosaurs and be extinct in a few years.

Nothing is changing faster than today's music business and the people who can provide a product and expertise as needs change will be the real winners in this race.

you make some good points Thomas. Well said :)

I know sound ideas buys sound effects and music from people.