I'm trying to understand this masternode system correctly. Currently, masternodes get paid less than $2 per day. That's not a lot. It takes 1,000 DASH to buy a Masternode. Where does the money that pays these nodes come from? From the miners?
More Masternodes = Price up initially to buy 1, then its Dash price slowly goes down each time the masternode owner decides to sell some of his earned DASH. So basically want is happening is that the value from the miners get's transfered to masternode owners.
Let's say lots of people want DASH for multiple reasons: anonymous, fast, voting, decentralized, etc. and the price rises a lot. This would mean that it would cost more to buy a Masternode. The higher the price, the more money you need to buy one. That means, that eventually, the growth of masternodes will slow down with price rises. But...the higher the price of 1 masternode, the more the owners get paid per day? So would it be possible to get paid $15 per day for 1 masternode in the future? Would that cause more people to buy masternodes?
Will miners eventually stop mining when there are no more blocks left in the future? In how many years? Would that be the end of DASH? Masternode owners not getting paid.
Oh I totally forgot this essential part: Masternodes get paid to mix coins. Now it all makes sense to me. If you want your coins mixed you got to pay for this service, and I'm sure other services might be added to Masternodes in the future.
OK, let me try to help. You don't "buy" masternodes, a masternode is a Dash full node that besides basic services like propagating messages and securing the network also provide special services like mixing and securing instant transactions, all coins need full nodes but most coins only use them for the basic functions inherited from Bitcoin. In the case of Dash there is added value functionality that is provided by the full nodes. The 1000DASH is a collateral that establishes a bond of trust between the masternode and the network and prevents Sybil attacks, because people can't just create a bunch of full nodes for free to attack the network, this makes the masternode network really secure. In this sense the 1000DASH are a collateral, you don't "buy" a masternode as you never give up control of your 1000DASH to anyone you always retain control of your coins and your are free to sell them whenever you like. Obviously if you sell them your node stops running and you stop getting paid as you are no longer providing a service.
For providing different services, Masternodes operators get paid a portion of the block rewards,exactly like miners, this portion is divided between all existing masternodes, exactly like miners too, so the more masternodes there are the less money they get for providing these services. This creates a natural market dynamic that depends on market sentiment and investor confidence, if investors perceive less risk they are willing to take a smaller reward and thus the masternode count continues to rise. When the market feels the rewards are too little it may correct, so on and so forth. It is a self correcting system. The Dash full node network is serving its purpose really well and more services will be added on top of the already existing ones.
You can easily calculate your payments in Dash from running a masternode, just like you can calculate your payments from mining. Right now a Dash full node operator gets around 0.5 DASH per day, if you think of that based on the exchage rate today that comes out to be like 1.50 USD per day that is around 550 USD year, while you hold around 3000 USD worth of Dash as collateral for your full node to run and are free to sell that at any time, is not bad. But in reality just like with mining people are not running master nodes for the current exchange rate, you run masternodes to accumulate Dash now, so that you can potentially realize gains in the future at much better exchange rates or just directly spend Dash for goods and services. So just like mining people take a risk now as they see a lot of upside potential.
About a future where running a masternode requires a larger amount in FIAT terms as collateral due to price appreciation, I think that is a future everyone is hoping for. The collateral requirement could always be lowered when that time comes or people can take advantage of shared masternoding which is already very popular and there are several services available for that, just like pool mining. I hope this clarifies a little.
