diff --git a/ext/speex/gstspeex.c b/ext/speex/gstspeex.c
index 9688cd5c2e..f904efba06 100644
--- a/ext/speex/gstspeex.c
+++ b/ext/speex/gstspeex.c
@@ -20,26 +20,18 @@
 #include <config.h>
 #endif
 
-#include "gstspeexdec.h"
-#include "gstspeexenc.h"
+#include "gstspeexelements.h"
 
-#include <gst/tag/tag.h>
 
 static gboolean
 plugin_init (GstPlugin * plugin)
 {
+  gboolean ret = FALSE;
 
-  if (!gst_element_register (plugin, "speexenc", GST_RANK_PRIMARY,
-          GST_TYPE_SPEEX_ENC))
-    return FALSE;
+  ret |= GST_ELEMENT_REGISTER (speexenc, plugin);
+  ret |= GST_ELEMENT_REGISTER (speexdec, plugin);
 
-  if (!gst_element_register (plugin, "speexdec", GST_RANK_PRIMARY,
-          GST_TYPE_SPEEX_DEC))
-    return FALSE;
-
-  gst_tag_register_musicbrainz_tags ();
-
-  return TRUE;
+  return ret;
 }
 
 GST_PLUGIN_DEFINE (GST_VERSION_MAJOR,
diff --git a/ext/speex/gstspeexdec.c b/ext/speex/gstspeexdec.c
index 3c29ec7ac2..eeb7af7e8b 100644
--- a/ext/speex/gstspeexdec.c
+++ b/ext/speex/gstspeexdec.c
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 #  include "config.h"
 #endif
 
+#include "gstspeexelements.h"
 #include "gstspeexdec.h"
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -77,6 +78,8 @@ GST_STATIC_PAD_TEMPLATE ("sink",
 
 #define gst_speex_dec_parent_class parent_class
 G_DEFINE_TYPE (GstSpeexDec, gst_speex_dec, GST_TYPE_AUDIO_DECODER);
+GST_ELEMENT_REGISTER_DEFINE_WITH_CODE (speexdec, "speexdec",
+    GST_RANK_PRIMARY, GST_TYPE_SPEEX_DEC, speex_element_init (plugin));
 
 static gboolean gst_speex_dec_start (GstAudioDecoder * dec);
 static gboolean gst_speex_dec_stop (GstAudioDecoder * dec);
diff --git a/ext/speex/gstspeexelement.c b/ext/speex/gstspeexelement.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..773430598a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/speex/gstspeexelement.c
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+
+/* GStreamer
+ * Copyright (C) <1999> Erik Walthinsen <omega@cse.ogi.edu>
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Library General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, write to the
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor,
+ * Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include <config.h>
+#endif
+
+#include "gstspeexelements.h"
+
+#include <gst/tag/tag.h>
+
+void
+speex_element_init (GstPlugin * plugin)
+{
+  static gsize res = FALSE;
+  if (g_once_init_enter (&res)) {
+    gst_tag_register_musicbrainz_tags ();
+    g_once_init_leave (&res, TRUE);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ext/speex/gstspeexelements.h b/ext/speex/gstspeexelements.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b37ea818bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/speex/gstspeexelements.h
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2020 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
+ *   @Author: Julian Bouzas <julian.bouzas@collabora.com>
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
+ * Library General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, write to the Free
+ * Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+#ifndef __GST_SPEEX_ELEMENTS_H__
+#define __GST_SPEEX_ELEMENTS_H__
+
+#include <gst/gst.h>
+
+G_BEGIN_DECLS
+
+void speex_element_init (GstPlugin * plugin);
+
+GST_ELEMENT_REGISTER_DECLARE (speexenc);
+GST_ELEMENT_REGISTER_DECLARE (speexdec);
+
+G_END_DECLS
+
+#endif /* __GST_SPEEX_ELEMENTS_H__ */
diff --git a/ext/speex/gstspeexenc.c b/ext/speex/gstspeexenc.c
index dc39d0adf6..3eac649a39 100644
--- a/ext/speex/gstspeexenc.c
+++ b/ext/speex/gstspeexenc.c
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
 #include <gst/gsttagsetter.h>
 #include <gst/tag/tag.h>
 #include <gst/audio/audio.h>
+#include "gstspeexelements.h"
 #include "gstspeexenc.h"
 
 GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_STATIC (speexenc_debug);
@@ -143,6 +144,8 @@ static gboolean gst_speex_enc_sink_event (GstAudioEncoder * enc,
 G_DEFINE_TYPE_WITH_CODE (GstSpeexEnc, gst_speex_enc, GST_TYPE_AUDIO_ENCODER,
     G_IMPLEMENT_INTERFACE (GST_TYPE_TAG_SETTER, NULL);
     G_IMPLEMENT_INTERFACE (GST_TYPE_PRESET, NULL));
+GST_ELEMENT_REGISTER_DEFINE_WITH_CODE (speexenc, "speexenc",
+    GST_RANK_PRIMARY, GST_TYPE_SPEEX_ENC, speex_element_init (plugin));
 
 static void
 gst_speex_enc_class_init (GstSpeexEncClass * klass)
diff --git a/ext/speex/meson.build b/ext/speex/meson.build
index f7e2fdb1fc..6a65d0d90f 100644
--- a/ext/speex/meson.build
+++ b/ext/speex/meson.build
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 speex_sources = [
+  'gstspeexelement.c',
   'gstspeex.c',
   'gstspeexdec.c',
   'gstspeexenc.c',