Do patrons start feeling like customers when tiers get too specific?

I’ve been thinking about the difference between patrons and customers. A customer pays because they want a specific thing in return. A patron supports because they believe in the work and want it to continue. I feel like Patreon can become stressful when those two things get mixed together. You start with people wanting to support your work, but once you add tiers, rewards, extra posts, early access, Discord, etc., it can slowly start feeling like you’re running a little content store.

That might be totally fine for some creators, but I wonder if it becomes a trap for creators whose main work is already public. Would a simpler model make sense where the page is framed more like a monthly funding goal? Something like: “This public work needs $X/month to stay sustainable. If you value it and want it to continue, you can help fund it.” Almost like Kickstarter, but for ongoing public work instead of one project.

No big reward ladder. No extra content promised. Just a clear goal, public updates, and supporters helping keep the main work going. For creators here, would that feel cleaner and less stressful, or do you think most patrons need specific benefits to stay subscribed?