there were no fees for transfer and no centralized authority taking a cut? Ummm...
Witnesses take 10% of the annual Steem inflation. To be able to compete against Patreon and the like, Steem witnesses will have to come to a consensus about cutting back their share quite a bit.
I also think that the community witnesses will take precedence rather than individual witnesses.
I think in time it will spread wider as price increases and likely drop a little.
I hope so. Fortunately, it will not be up to the witnesses. We as the community can vote out those witnesses who demand a higher cut than their efforts warrant.