diff --git a/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c b/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c
index 630b5c085b..c6cd0070df 100644
--- a/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c
+++ b/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudiodecoder.c
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ struct _GstAudioDecoderPrivate
   gint error_count;
   /* codec id tag */
   GstTagList *taglist;
+  gboolean taglist_changed;
 
   /* whether circumstances allow output aggregation */
   gint agg;
@@ -477,6 +478,7 @@ gst_audio_decoder_reset (GstAudioDecoder * dec, gboolean full)
       gst_tag_list_free (dec->priv->taglist);
       dec->priv->taglist = NULL;
     }
+    dec->priv->taglist_changed = FALSE;
 
     gst_segment_init (&dec->input_segment, GST_FORMAT_TIME);
     gst_segment_init (&dec->output_segment, GST_FORMAT_TIME);
@@ -706,11 +708,12 @@ gst_audio_decoder_sink_setcaps (GstAudioDecoder * dec, GstCaps * caps)
   /* NOTE pbutils only needed here */
   /* TODO maybe (only) upstream demuxer/parser etc should handle this ? */
 #if 0
-  if (dec->priv->taglist)
-    gst_tag_list_free (dec->priv->taglist);
-  dec->priv->taglist = gst_tag_list_new ();
+  if (!dec->priv->taglist)
+    dec->priv->taglist = gst_tag_list_new ();
+  dec->priv->taglist = gst_tag_list_make_writable (dec->priv->taglist);
   gst_pb_utils_add_codec_description_to_tag_list (dec->priv->taglist,
       GST_TAG_AUDIO_CODEC, caps);
+  dec->priv->taglist_changed = TRUE;
 #endif
 
   if (klass->set_format)
@@ -1070,14 +1073,12 @@ gst_audio_decoder_finish_frame (GstAudioDecoder * dec, GstBuffer * buf,
   }
 
   /* delayed one-shot stuff until confirmed data */
-  if (priv->taglist) {
+  if (priv->taglist && priv->taglist_changed) {
     GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (dec, "codec tag %" GST_PTR_FORMAT, priv->taglist);
-    if (gst_tag_list_is_empty (priv->taglist)) {
-      gst_tag_list_free (priv->taglist);
-    } else {
-      gst_audio_decoder_push_event (dec, gst_event_new_tag (priv->taglist));
-    }
-    priv->taglist = NULL;
+    if (!gst_tag_list_is_empty (priv->taglist))
+      gst_audio_decoder_push_event (dec,
+          gst_event_new_tag (gst_tag_list_ref (priv->taglist)));
+    priv->taglist_changed = FALSE;
   }
 
   buf = gst_buffer_make_writable (buf);
@@ -2862,7 +2863,8 @@ gst_audio_decoder_merge_tags (GstAudioDecoder * dec,
   otags = dec->priv->taglist;
   dec->priv->taglist = gst_tag_list_merge (dec->priv->taglist, tags, mode);
   if (otags)
-    gst_tag_list_free (otags);
+    gst_tag_list_unref (otags);
+  dec->priv->taglist_changed = TRUE;
   GST_AUDIO_DECODER_STREAM_UNLOCK (dec);
 }
 
diff --git a/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudioencoder.c b/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudioencoder.c
index 303ef9410e..6e71394329 100644
--- a/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudioencoder.c
+++ b/gst-libs/gst/audio/gstaudioencoder.c
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ struct _GstAudioEncoderPrivate
 
   /* pending tags */
   GstTagList *tags;
+  gboolean tags_changed;
   /* pending serialized sink events, will be sent from finish_frame() */
   GList *pending_events;
 };
@@ -467,6 +468,7 @@ gst_audio_encoder_reset (GstAudioEncoder * enc, gboolean full)
     if (enc->priv->tags)
       gst_tag_list_free (enc->priv->tags);
     enc->priv->tags = NULL;
+    enc->priv->tags_changed = FALSE;
 
     g_list_foreach (enc->priv->pending_events, (GFunc) gst_event_unref, NULL);
     g_list_free (enc->priv->pending_events);
@@ -641,24 +643,26 @@ gst_audio_encoder_finish_frame (GstAudioEncoder * enc, GstBuffer * buf,
   }
 
   /* send after pending events, which likely includes newsegment event */
-  if (G_UNLIKELY (enc->priv->tags)) {
-    GstTagList *tags;
+  if (G_UNLIKELY (enc->priv->tags && enc->priv->tags_changed)) {
 #if 0
     GstCaps *caps;
 #endif
 
     /* add codec info to pending tags */
-    tags = enc->priv->tags;
-    /* no more pending */
-    enc->priv->tags = NULL;
 #if 0
+    if (!enc->priv->tags)
+      enc->priv->tags = gst_tag_list_new ();
+    enc->priv->tags = gst_tag_list_make_writable (enc->priv->tags);
     caps = gst_pad_get_current_caps (enc->srcpad);
-    gst_pb_utils_add_codec_description_to_tag_list (tags, GST_TAG_CODEC, caps);
-    gst_pb_utils_add_codec_description_to_tag_list (tags, GST_TAG_AUDIO_CODEC,
-        caps);
+    gst_pb_utils_add_codec_description_to_tag_list (enc->priv->tags,
+        GST_TAG_CODEC, caps);
+    gst_pb_utils_add_codec_description_to_tag_list (enc->priv->tags,
+        GST_TAG_AUDIO_CODEC, caps);
 #endif
-    GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (enc, "sending tags %" GST_PTR_FORMAT, tags);
-    gst_audio_encoder_push_event (enc, gst_event_new_tag (tags));
+    GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (enc, "sending tags %" GST_PTR_FORMAT, enc->priv->tags);
+    gst_audio_encoder_push_event (enc,
+        gst_event_new_tag (gst_tag_list_ref (enc->priv->tags)));
+    enc->priv->tags_changed = FALSE;
   }
 
   /* remove corresponding samples from input */
@@ -1962,6 +1966,7 @@ gst_audio_encoder_activate (GstAudioEncoder * enc, gboolean active)
     if (enc->priv->tags)
       gst_tag_list_free (enc->priv->tags);
     enc->priv->tags = gst_tag_list_new_empty ();
+    enc->priv->tags_changed = FALSE;
 
     if (!enc->priv->active && klass->start)
       result = klass->start (enc);
@@ -2502,14 +2507,15 @@ gst_audio_encoder_merge_tags (GstAudioEncoder * enc,
   g_return_if_fail (GST_IS_AUDIO_ENCODER (enc));
   g_return_if_fail (tags == NULL || GST_IS_TAG_LIST (tags));
 
-  GST_OBJECT_LOCK (enc);
+  GST_AUDIO_ENCODER_STREAM_LOCK (enc);
   if (tags)
     GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (enc, "merging tags %" GST_PTR_FORMAT, tags);
   otags = enc->priv->tags;
   enc->priv->tags = gst_tag_list_merge (enc->priv->tags, tags, mode);
   if (otags)
-    gst_tag_list_free (otags);
-  GST_OBJECT_UNLOCK (enc);
+    gst_tag_list_unref (otags);
+  enc->priv->tags_changed = TRUE;
+  GST_AUDIO_ENCODER_STREAM_UNLOCK (enc);
 }
 
 static gboolean