I think that's a really shallow way to look at it. For a professional photographer it's the final version of the file that is actually sold, not the RAW or film

I think that's a really shallow way to look at it. For a professional photographer it's the final version of the file that is actually sold, not the RAW or film negative. These final files are often not some 300x200 web preview. These are full sized images. You can argue the final edit has more value and is the one to preserve. Ansel Adams broke the process down into 3 parts with the initial capture being but the first. So losing the final edits is losing 66% of the total work. I'm only a hobbyist photog and the bday parties and weddings I've shot result in thousands of images. I can't imagine having to shoot multiple events every week for years. For a pro, the edits represent thousands of hours of work. That the work can be redone theoretically might mean very little to a working photographer.