A slight counter argument @dirvine… The problem app authors face is intense competition. It’s a lottery, and many can work hard and never make money, even if their product is good. This pattern is repeated and encouraged by the ecosystems of the app store, in music, arts etc. Anything that appeals to the mass audience is prone to this winner takes all pattern, unlike the artisan / craftsman who is employed for her labour or output, not for popularity.
EDIT: Instead of reproducing the celebrity model, is there a way to foster the artisan craftsman softy? I guess they are more like the core developers, so maybe we can build on and extend that to support more people in honest useful labor?
EDIT2: I guess the answer is for app authors to form collectives, so big winners benefit from collective resources and in return share a proportion of their earnings with everyone.