You have a very odd view of rights. It's /within their means/ as a producer to require email to view their content. Just because you can do something doesn't make it your right to do something. Doesn't make it wrong to do it either, but that's god damn miles from a right.
In addition, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should, and it's within my means to assert that anyone who asks for my contact information but doesn't know me personally /definitely/ wants to spam me, there's no other reason for them to ask for that information.
Being polite, spamming is rude. Being rude, people who send or enable spam are worthless scum. I have no time for anyone who chooses willfully to be part of that cycle.
My freedom to express that opinion actually /is/ a right[1].
It's your right as a consumer to not want to make that trade.
Not rude. Rude is posting the raw file link to subvert the agreement or complain about it on hacker news.