It’s because they can be had for free when you play them via Soundclick and Soundcloud and even your own sites. The mp3s are downloaded to your comp when you stream them. I suggest posting snippets only if you really want to sell them.
Funny… I just assumed it was because my songs suck 
I think the biggest pitfall we hobbyists face is how we routinely regurgitate yesteryear’s styles. Now, I know some will object and say, “Nonsense – do the music that you love, regardless of how dated, current, or popular it may be.” I get that. I’ve done that. However, I think an artist, if he’s making music for any kind of audience, has something of a duty to create something new – otherwise, he’s wasting the listeners’ time. I know I’ve wasted countless hours auditioning people’s tunes that either flat out suck or just sound like everything else out there. (That’s why I hate cover bands that do it as close to the record as possible – major yawn). Maybe I’m dreamin’, but I still want to think that any one of us could reach a wider audience IF he or she came up with something original
Well, we don’t sell any because we give them away, but then why doesn’t anybody take them when they’re free? And the answer is, uh, oh, now I just feel bad. It’s true, there’s a lot of hobbyist stuff out there, and it’s also true that it’s almost all derivative of something else. But there’s hope, of the 7 billion or so people on earth, probably only half of them write and record their own music!
I think you’ve misinterpreted me a bit there Steve… although I do subscribe to the
general idea that an artist should try to offer something unique, it should still definitely and always be something that comes from the heart! I agree, trying to
create something different just for the sake of being different, and if it doesn’t really
reflect who you are, would be a pretty miserable undertaking, and probably unsuccessful artistically anyway.
It’s also true that all artistic endeavor will be influenced by something that’s come before, regardless of how “innovative” it presents itself as being. The fact is, where ever that influence came from, it’s STILL coming from within the artist when he sits down to write a song that reveals those influences. But then, he should add something that’s uniquely his own. It’s just my opinion, but I feel many of us hobbyists fail to do that last part. There’s certainly no shame in that, but my point is that I think that’s why we don’t connect with a wider audience
Personally I not convinced it will make much difference really. I know looking at Bandcamp stats 80% of plays are either skipped (abondoned before 10%) or partial (played past 10% but not the full track).
I think the whole notion of selling music in 2011, particularly for most ‘hobbyists’ is rapidly becoming an obsolete and somewhat antiquated idea. There’s a growing belief in a new sales model for the 21st century where the music itself is free, and focus is more on merchandising etc; the music is simply used as a ‘lure’ and money is simply earned by selling other products, advertising etc etc.
Also, in a market now where supply exceeds demand x1000, where music is now a consumable rather than a collectable, it’s always gonna be tough to make a dollar. 
Hiya Ian, my main message is that all of these sites you’re paying money to (or not) to promote and sell your tunes don’t protect your rights. All of your songs can be had for nothing just by moving a file on your computer. 
Yeah, I do get your point, that even though you may set the the file for stream-only the file itself is often cached locally. Anyone with a little know-how can easily find it. And of course there’s (free) software around that will capture/record the streams for you anyway.
But I suspect that even if you put up a 1-minute snippet instead of a full-length track I don’t think that will necessarily encourage anyone to buy the full-length MP3, i.e. just 'cos they can’t steal it doesn’t necessarily mean they will then go ahead and buy it! 
Damn cache thingy 
Does anybody actually put up finished mixes anyway? I tend to get to a point with a mix where there are only slight tweaks needed anyway and don’t put em up on Soundlclick.
Seeing as it’s mp3 format, I doubt a couple of mix tweaks would make much difference overall.
I buy many songs on iTunes based on 30 second snippets. I also reject many tunes on the basis of those 30 second snippets. It’s vital to have the right 30 seconds of a tune to present to prospective buyers.
But I may be an atypical consumer, because I don’t steal music.
I put a bunch of tunes up on a new Myspace page several weeks ago, a total of two listens so far! That’s the reality!
Yeah, the ‘sales’ thing really is a non-happening event for us folks that no-one has ever heard of and in fact I know people that folks HAVE heard of and even they don’t sell much either these days. I used to get a bit of a steady trickle from CDBABY’s digital distribution (mostly iTunes) - that was sometimes enough to buy a beer or two every other month but thats pretty much dried up completely now.
Gigs pay if and when you can get them. My mate and I played for a mere $50 recently but I figured even that’s still more than 50 paid-for MP3 downloads which never happen! 