I'm thinking that a blockchain system with smart contracts could be the way to go, but it's embarrassingly easy to rattle off "blockchain system with smart contracts." The biggest barrier I can see to making that practical is that for most people, the blockchain currency would have to be converted from and to conventional currency to be acceptable, and the smart contracts would need a user-friendly front end. That could well bring us back to having some untrustworthy company handling the deals.

Success depends on more than the technicalities of payment. Patreon tried to create a community, though I don't think they did it especially well. Something that merely handled payments might not be able to build much excitement.