Yes, I also think that using Steem as a verification tool is very powerful. Not everything has to be on the blockchain. The content that the backer wants access to could just as well be somewhere else.

About the auto payment: This is where you would need to give up your Active key to an app in order for it to continuously verify those automated transactions out of your wallet. This is why I think a "spending account" would be a key enabler, since it means you would have an account on which you could accept the risk of giving up your Active Key.