Time will tell, but I can't see any reason to doubt whether this could scale. As long as an artist can inspire intense loyalty from a small group of fans, they could forseeably supplement their income with donations. This won't work for all artists, and won't replace existing funding models. But there are a lot of creators who fit this bill.
I, for one, and excited to see crowd-patronage grow. It's a model that rewards artists with cult appeal (versus the consumer model, which values mass appeal). The arts will be a little less bland.
See my other reply that's like a great-great-uncle-once-removed of this comment or something, and I'd highlight I'm using real numbers from my real patronage, not theoretical things that could happen someday.
I, for one, and excited to see crowd-patronage grow. It's a model that rewards artists with cult appeal (versus the consumer model, which values mass appeal). The arts will be a little less bland.