This is essentially how science grants work. The state awards some money for science in general and allots it to a few agencies to distribute, who then use prac

This is essentially how science grants work. The state awards some money for science in general and allots it to a few agencies to distribute, who then use practicing scientists to figure out who deserves it. How does anyone determine whom is a practitioner of a given art? It's some interplay between demonstrated objective skill and practitioner consensus. I'm proposing a gentler version of that that would be open to more people. What you are describing is corruption and would be illegal. I would also note that public support of the arts is nothing new. This is simply a generous expansion that qualitatively changes the relation of artists to markets and to the public. For example: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/government-support-for-the-arts.html https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/government-sup...