The strat here is probably to get as many users onboarded as possible ("of course I'll support them directly on Clubhouse, it's the cheapest way to do it!") and then at some point once people have grown accustomed to supporting creators through clubhouse they'll start taking a cut.
You would think they need to grow user count as quickly as possible (like all other VC funded startups), but the fact that they don't have a web app, don't have an Android app and don't have open signups on iOS leaves me very confused about their entire strategy.
Is Clubhouse just being pushed by VCs and other tech celebrities as their personal soapbox, or does it have potential to be something beyond that?
Sure, if done well that works great to generate buzz up to a certain point. Right now though I doubt there's anyone left who really wants a Clubhouse invite but can't get one (so the "exclusivity" thing isn't really driving anyone anymore), and the casual passers-by aren't going to bother jumping through hoops and will just move on.
Interesting choice. It would have been easy to add an extra 1-5% on top of each payment.