I'm not arguing that every business model deserves to survive; I'm talking about the specific case of consuming audio/video content without keeping it. Renting

I'm not arguing that every business model deserves to survive; I'm talking about the specific case of consuming audio/video content without keeping it. Renting bits does seem antiquated, yet it's a type of transaction that both consumers and creators enjoy. Obviously in a perfect world, DRM would be illegal (or at least, frowned upon by consumers), and all content would be available in a globally accessible digital library that magically compensated creators. But that would represent a huge shift in economics which would have to take place at the level of law and public policy, not the technology used to facilitate the transaction. The situation is analogous to abstinence vs. sex education for young people: if they're going to do the wrong thing (DRM/promiscuity), they should at least do the wrong thing the right way (web standards/using protection).