I've noticed that List of Tagged Songs is very arbitrary between using copyright or general tags. I'd like to make some guideline regarding how to tag derivative works such as songs, fine art parodies, and memes.
Memes are pretty straightforward - they usually reference gestures or objects, from something that usually isn't copyrighted, so they should be general tags.
We usually tag the source of fine art parodies as copyright, despite the subjects not appearing in the artwork itself more often than not. I think we could use general tags if the characters don't appear, like memes, although i fear it may create a mess in the long run.
As far as i know, at the moment there's no agreement on what tag category to use regarding songs:
- Anime songs and song parodies tend to use general tags. This is probably because they reference the choreography and not the characters, so they're treated like memes.
- Idol music tags are general tags, because they double as outfit tag and not just as reference to the song's music or choreography. The characters also share the same canon, so they're subsets of copyright tags.
- Vocaloid music tags instead are all copyright tags - this is probably because they're considered on par with original works, each with their own canon or something.
- Meme songs are all over the place. Some are tagged as copyright, some are general.
Given the previous statements, i would make them all copyright tags, but on closer inspection:
Some are connected to the original music video, like Caramelldansen or Smooth Criminal.
Some aren't connected to the original music or music video, but to secondary creations which used them, and thus the songs became associated with said thing. For example Dorime, Country Roads, What is love...
Some are just famous music videos, like Despacito or Gangnam Style...
And some don't even have music videos, like Fly me to the moon or Through the fire and flames, so they will only be referenced through an image's text.
What i would propose is to make a general guideline for each category, but keep it flexible for the odd exceptions.