I absolutely agree to your beliefs in regard to Steemit, and that it 'pays out' in one way or the other if your supportive and also patient. I believe and have experienced in nearly fifteen years of self-employment that you have to know what you want, and that you have to give something first if you want to get something back, not only in business as an investment of time or money, but also in your personal life where you're giving trust or comfort or joy or anything to others.
Which doesn't mean you should constantly give if some publisher or label or other company gains the whole profit from your work, that's where Steemit comes in ;)