I agree that if I'm looking for an app that finding it can be a pain right now. But, are there really scores of amazing apps from small indie developers that are languishing because they can't afford to pay people in China to get them into the top 1000?
I feel like what you are describing are the faddish/scammy types of apps that people attempt to make a quick buck on and not the great indie apps by a small team. Great apps will be found and bubble to the top. Bad apps that are trying to make a quick buck by just being popular are always going to be fighting an uphill battle.
I've been in the Top 1000. I've been as high as #1 in the Social Networking category in certain countries (though just top 20 in the category in the USA). My peak earnings were ~$1000 per year. About enough money to hire a developer for a day ($120/hr was the going rate, especially at that time).
Despite my best efforts and what I thought seemed like decent rankings, I ultimate had to chalk it up as a failed business. You could argue the quality of my app was not there, but I definitely poured what I could into it with entirely honest intentions.
Unless you have something really special, it's hard out there. The more niche your product, the harder it becomes to get noticed amongst the cruft.
I feel like what you are describing are the faddish/scammy types of apps that people attempt to make a quick buck on and not the great indie apps by a small team. Great apps will be found and bubble to the top. Bad apps that are trying to make a quick buck by just being popular are always going to be fighting an uphill battle.