There are certainly ways out of dependency: free software, independent music, privately organized providers, etc.
The sad thing about it is that media and business often go hand in hand, and therefore the alternatives get less public attention than the mainstream (okay, in the Linux area that's just changing — but what about the other alternatives like the BSD variants?)
If there were still well-researched journalism, reports about the RIAA would have to be followed by reports and mentions of the quite active independent scene — but these are often missing. And that applies, for example, also in the area of internet providers — who has already reported on the small, privately organized ones? Even back when the IN e.V. still existed, such reports were scarce.
Ultimately, consumers do have it in their hands how strong their dependency really becomes. Sure, not every area is overflowing with alternatives — for example, mobile networks are beyond private feasibility. Still, the consumer can certainly strive for a certain degree of technical competence and doesn't have to subject themselves to dependency on rip-off artists in all matters.
Unfortunately, dependency is much more convenient though...
At anoteron weblog there's the original article.