It's about time the writers, artists, etc become hourly employees just like all the rest of us (engineers, programmers, printers, tech document creators, ...). Pay them $30/hour for their work and done.
This is borderline retarded.
First, there is no barrier of entry for creative artists. There is no accreditation for writers, painters, photographers, songwriters, etc that is necessary to practice. Can the same be said for engineers, programmers, etc? Can anyone do your job? No. Agreeing to pay anyone $30/hr to write without a formal approval process - how's that sound to you? Stupid? We're in agreement then.
Second, they are creating something with an intangible value. Engineers, etc, all create something with a tangible value, something that - if it works properly - can be measured as worth x because it fulfills a specified need. You are hired because you can produce code or documents or whatever as needed. But so can anyone with the equivalent, measurable skillset. Like it or not, you are to a large degree interchangeable with a thousand others.
A well-written song or novel has no such guaranteed value (it may have no interested audience). Nor does a successful songwriter or novelist (his next work be awful). Nor are the artists interchangeable. This kind of creative work is done on spec because you're only as good as your last piece. And even if what you create is amazing, there's still no guarantee that anyone will be interested.
Can the same be said for a programmer or engineer? If your last project didn't work out, does that mean your skills are in question, your perceived worth gutted, your ability to make a wage practicing your profession gone? Of course not. Your product (code, documentation, etc) has a market even if your current project flops. You still have your measurable skills and the failure wasn't completely yours (giving you the benefit of the doubt). Your profession is collaborative in a way that it isn't with creatives. Songwriters, authors, etc are in control of the entire process in regards to producing a product. Sure, there are session musicians and sound editors etc, but these are paid help. Creatives do everything on spec. If someone takes all the risks, why shouldn't they get all the benefits when it works out well? If you come up with the idea for, and proceeded to write, a piece of code that's worth millions to the world on your own time, wouldn't you expect the same? Yeah, I thought so.
As for the creative types thinking they're better than you, how do they express that exactly? Do they kick sand in your face? Sleep with your girlfriend and brag about it? Laugh at your unicorn poetry?
All that said, I'm completely for this idea. You work it so I get paid $30/hr to write spacegun krazy krazy robot smut novels. I also play the kazoo at an expert level, so I might moonlight to make some extra dough.