We also deleted the songs after verifying their existence in the handy little compressed file that traveled bit by bit across the web. The songs first arrived via either a leak or a publicity stunt at Pretty Much Amazing on April Fools’ Day, but the joke was on everyone who suspected this was a prank, as singer Clarkson acknowledged they were legit.

“I write all the time – lots of stuff not meant to ever be released, just working on ideas. The fact that people have heard music that’s not ready yet sucks, but I hope they like it,” ContactMusic cited her as saying of the quartet of demo tunes, titled “Close Your Eyes,” “One Day,” “Ready,” and “With a Little Bit of Luck.”

The songs are very much demo quality. Considering that Clarkson is under contract to music industry legend Clive Davis, who is demanding more pop songs and less experimentation, these songs will sound a lot different if and when they make it through the production process.

Pretty Much Amazing took the tracks down quickly, once legal types began sniffing blood in the water. The deluge, of course, washed the songs to various points online. There’s a Spanish saying about how you can’t unring a bell, and it’s especially true these days.

Fan demand for more of a look at their idols, particularly their American Idols, ensured plenty of buzz and anticipation for Clarkson’s next album, her third. An 11 million-selling album, followed by a modest, 2 million selling, Clarkson-penned sequel, have them wondering which artist will show up for the next album.

The public position on the songs holds they were stolen from wherever Clarkson and co-writer Aben Eubanks had them stored online, and subsequently leaked. An entirely plausible scenario, but it’s also possible the leak was a teensy bit less than unintentional.

Clarkson did cancel her Summer 2007 tour amid low arena ticket sales, and has a tour scheduled for this year. Our modern, attention span challenged, interconnected society may need a reminder that Clarkson has the tour and the new album on tap.

A leaked/stolen demo would do the trick. If it was stolen, Clarkson and her new manager might want to note the positive buzz from fans around this demo’s emergence. She could create another demo, put it up for pay-what-you-wish pricing (maybe including a small bonus like a video of the demo session for paying customers), and really cater to the fans who like this latest demo.