I'm so impressed with this community. This type of concept could save journalism by creating a 'power law' around the best authors/articles. While most people will make very little cash from their work, the top journalists will make a bunch, thus creating a motivation for large numbers of people to try and create great content.
We see a similar phenomenon in the music industry. Part of the reason we see constant innovation is because a handful of people get really famous and make lots of money.
Very exciting...