the ultimate answer

Records were a pain to use, could get scratched, wear out, and had pops and crackles.

The one thing a record has that mp3′s don’t is character, and not just tonality.  In order to listen to a record you have to do so with intention, carefully select which album and gently place the vinyl down.

And when those Twenty two and a half minutes are done what you have is silence.  You have heard the creation as intended.

Seems like the endless stream of music we have today does not lend itself to a greater contemplation of a single piece. We are constantly being fed the next new piece.

The other advantage of the limited length of the record is that the artist must carefully select what goes into the work.