ES artists have the same reward system as the ES, its a form of payment but is minimal and does not involve real money
Can confirm, though i was actually mildly surprised that we even get anything at all. I don't know if i'm allowed to say exactly how it works, but my fancy purple user title has been acquired this way. :v
Only high high staff and some developers get paid i think, and high high staff doesnt mean admins, they dont get paid either. There are reward systems set in place for some staff.