Listed on RFC on at this time and date: 16:28, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
This page is for the purpose of discussing the proper placement in music articles for song cover versions and to gather consensus for an official guideline pertaining to this subject. Most song articles in Wikipedia contain more than one (or all) version(s) of a popular song, with the inclusion of multiple infoboxes and chart information, if the cover is equally or more popular/notable than the original. Recently there have been several articles from which a cover version was spun off into its own page, which has brought attention to the fact that no official consensus, policy or guideline exists regarding where cover versions should go. Discussions about cover versions have occurred on several article Talk Pages, but this page will serve as a centralized discussion on the matter.
Some arguments supporting keeping covers merged with original versions include the preference to keep song articles about songs as opposed to singles, i.e. an artist's decision to cover a popular tune is part of the history of the song, therefore this information belongs in the article. The combination and or appearance of multiple infoboxes and chart information can be arranged neatly and cleanly without cluttering up the article.
Arguments for splitting or spinning off cover versions include the dislike of stacked (multiple) infoboxes and chart/track list information, causing a cluttered or sloppy appearance. Some pages cause issues in which a cover version may overtake an original in notability (or not even come close to cultural significance of the original) which in turn could lead to lopsided articles where one version's section is much longer and more detailed than the other.
No doubt there are many more points to bring up here, so let's have at it. - eo (talk) 11:47, 2 July 2009 (UTC)