Hive is great to use for subscriptions and so is delegationing hive. We already have a few examples.
However with SMT it will be branded and models can set their own rate (I suspect most will ignorantly go with free fall inflation that would make Chavez smile from the grave).
We actually have a house renting model like this in Korea called Jeonse. I put a deposit on my apartment worth 50~80% of the market value and live there rent free. I get it back when I move out. Koreans understood steem well, I doubt it is a coincidence.
Tipping is a good model too. For example in North America people are obsessed with tipping culture. It works great when you dont want any commitment. Services need to anonymize it. This is good for vice services.
Ultimately I think hive needs to use a combination of all these models. Some businesses can choose one or another and others can choose them all.
You are right that the deposit aspect makes it risk free, especially if HBD was actually pegged, however I suspect SMTs again could introduce a real peg like usdt (sure there are issues, but they are still around right?). The issue now is hive has a crazy value, so the question is what will it be worth when someone gives up? A real peg will solve that issue.
When I've looked into how online game companies and other online companies work, I've noticed something about the successful global ones. Try changing the country, language, etc by vpn or just selection. Localization is huge. Most business on Steem with miney just focus on English speaking North American and European culutres. The chinese live micropayments, the westerners love subscriptions. Discount tokens when purchased in bulk are a type of subscription model.
I think I need to find a new way of explaining my vision.
Probably. I'm understand something and it's huge and beautiful, but I don't think it is your vision.