I think for most artists it's less about monetizing their fans and more about being able to make an income doing their art versus being forced to make an income

I think for most artists it's less about monetizing their fans and more about being able to make an income doing their art versus being forced to make an income doing something else. Focusing on the craft is what brings monetization. Traditional publisher models if anything tend to encourage the cynical cash-grabbing algorithm chasing grift people worry about, and take too much of the artists' revenue and rights for themselves. Because of course the business of helping artists monetize is to capture as much of that monetization for yourself as possible. Being able to pay artists directly seems like the best possible solution, but that doesn't require a business or middleman like OP. Someone can build a community and link their work to their Patreon or Kofi or something else organically.