It all depends how much you "need" to hear the music.
After spending tens of thousands of dollars to make my masters sound as fine as they should, I find mp3s an insult. I know the "business" is moving this way and will ultimately "go there" to get the music out to interested (or potentially interested) parties.
Sounds like you fell into a bad crowd. Most of my friends are not like this.
If your search for "artistic friends" fails, look elsewhere. I never sought out "artistic friends" on FB. Open a FB account, wait for folks to find you and make choices.
I seem to have excited some folks. Here is the deal: The "artifact" folks should be interested, the "music" folks less so. Riverside lps were not especially well mastered or pressed. I think there are many superior ways to hear this music. That's it.