Little Rock, Ark., hip-hop artists and producer WordPlay T. Jay recently held a live Q&A on his music advice channel on YouTube, offering people a chance to get on-the-spot music business advice.

Here are a few highlights from the session.

Q: I’ve distributed my song to Spotify and been sent a link to the song, but when I click the link, I see the song title and album, but a different song plays.

A: Reach out to Spotify’s artist support or your distributor and make sure the right file was submitted. You may also have the same name or song title as someone else, which is rare, but it can happen, so ask your distributor.

Q: Can you get paid from a PRO when a feature performs a song you are both on?

A: Yes, you can get paid. When you register the song with the PRO, register your name as the main writer, then the feature because they wrote a part. That is locked in, so when the song is streamed you get paid, and when it is performed by either of you, you also get a performance royalty.

For that, you go to your PRO account and put in a performance notification and they will bill the venue and send the royalty, no matter which of you performed the song. The producer can also get a royalty, too.

Q: If I lease beats to artists, will Distrolock prevent them from uploading songs? And, if so, how can I only let them upload to YouTube.

A: There is a great chance Distrolock will prevent them from uploading, but in this case you should do a written agreement for where the artist may upload a song and enforce that agreement. That said, it’s great to get it where you want, but it may not be the best business decision to only post on YouTube, and the agreement would be difficult to enforce.

My advice is to allow them to upload it in other places, too, and if something blows up, take the clout from that to help grow your business.

Q: We need a union to help fight for artists. These tech companies are just guests in the music industry.

A: I agree. Artists have had a tough time dealing with technology changes, which can create barriers to getting paid but also make it easier for consumers to hear your music. It is time for a union, and that’s the reason the movie industry is still so strong, because many positions have unions behind them.

Q: What do you think about United Masters?

A: They seem to be getting better, but the game is the game. You have to get your numbers up to stand out in most places. Shout out to United Masters for helping artists promote themselves, but the cream will rise to the top. Because of that, people with the clout and notoriety will get pushed to license.

That makes me wonder if United Masters is any different than any other distributor. It’s great, but it’s not all that different in a lot of ways.

Q: How can I buy beats?

A: There are plenty of places to buy beats, one of which is BeatStars. I haven’t bought beats in a long time because people email me offering beats, I have ties with producers that have them on-hand, or I make them myself. Do some Google searches to find some other places you can buy.

Q: What is the best distribution company?

A: It’s hard to say. Everything is tailored to what you need, so you have to understand your needs and choose wisely. Check out www.aristake.com to help guide you.

For more questions and information on WordPlay T. Jay, check out the full Q&A recap video below!