mixes are not so popular. or maybe they are, depends who's mixing!
i like to download mixes made by certain people. by certain people i mean people that i admire for their taste in music, or that i am interested in discovering their taste in music.
by making a mix, i can actually hear what they "have to say", and explore their taste. it's a way to express yourself. you can discover new good tracks, in mixes.
i always like to see a tracklist of a mix, so i can evaluate what i want from that mix.
say for example i see the tracklist, maybe i know 3 tracks in it. if those 3 tracks are good, i will be curious to see if the rest of the mix is just as good. they're new for me.
seeing how big the scene is today, a mix can help you discover good "new for you" tracks (maybe they're old, but you hadn't checked them out atm).
honestly i don't have time to go on websites and listen to thousands of samples to discover what's good and what's not. but a mix doesn't waste time. i usually listen to music while doing other activities as well.
right now i've been waiting for months/years/decades to see dj mylo post a mix.
same with ukiro, he promised a new mix, and nothing.
same with GHS and Fluffy ... but at least they did the mix, now they have to put it online.
i'd even like to see a mix by Colin OOOD.
and mixes by other people in this forum that probably cannot/won't mix.
mixing is not hard. if i only had the chance to practice, i'd be a dj right now. with gigs and stuff. (sorry if i seem to lack modesty, but it's the truth )