TV/Film-only performances - what's the rule?

Occasionally I'll see a cover that has never been commercially released in an audio format (vinyl, CD, tape, digital) listed as a performance - sometimes even as an original. Certainly this is the case with songs that predate recorded media, but I've also seen this for TV themes, Broadway songs, etc.

Yet the impression I have had in the past is only commercially released versions are supposed to be listed (with the exception of recordings made specifically for YouTube, etc which have their own Web covers section). So, just to check, what is the rule?

Two examples: I have (possibly in error) indexed Bill Haley & his Comets - Rockin' Robin (3/6) under "web covers"; as of 2019 the only known public release of the band doing this song is in a documentary called Blue Suede Shoes, which has found its way onto YouTube (privately made concert recordings exist but none have been released commercially or included on things like documentaries). Another example - not yet indexed - is the performance of The Holly and the Ivy by actress Jenna Coleman during the Dec. 25, 2017, episode of the British series "Victoria" titled "Comfort and Joy". There has been no commercial release of this cover - the only place to see it right now is in the episode. (Far as I know the scene hasn't been posted to YouTube, even). Is it allowed? Thanks!

PS. If the Haley example has been indexed improperly, I have no objection to it being taken down.

I'm certainly not an authority on this question, but I believe that performances from a non-traditional medium are only entered if such performance introduced the work to the world in a public manner, which would include visual (e.g. film), audio (e.g. radio) and stage (e.g. plays).

So if a song is "covered" in a film but that song was introduced earlier and was never officially released on traditional medium (e.g. no soundtrack), it's a non-entity for SHS purposes.

This leads to some interesting cases. In another thread, I discussed "Listen To The Sound", which is a song used in an episode of "The Partridge Family" but there is no known traditional release. I also believe it is a cover of some long forgotten band which I was never able to nail down. What if The Monkees covered a song on their show but that performance was never traditionally released?

@VirileVagabond Good comments and that mostly aligns with my understanding here. I guess where the uncertainty lies is back when, to use your example, the Monkees was on the air the only way for a song to get a commercial release would be through a record release. But these days, most TV shows or films do get commercial home release by way of DVD and Blu-ray (and before that, VHS). And with the rise of YouTube there are many cases where specific performances of songs from, say, The Monkees, can be found (both officially and unofficially) posted online. That Jenna Coleman example I gave, I did check to see if someone had posted it to YouTube (other songs performed in the Victoria TV series have been). But that episode was released on DVD last year, so technically it has had a commercial release.

I'm sure the admins of this site have debated this in the past. I'm just curious to see if there's been any talk of it. It is certainly a simpler option to stick with commercial releases - but then there's the whole "Web version" option now, so is there that much difference between those and, (as a totally random example), Carl Lumbly's cover version of Suspicious Minds that he performed on an episode of Supergirl last year?

23... You bring up a question that I considered during my initial response, namely DVDs. I have seen covers on site that were released on DVDs of recorded concerts. How is this different than a DVD release of a film or TV Series? Hell, I believe GEICO has released a DVD of their commercials.

If there is an official DVD release of such a "Monkees" or "Partridge Family" episode, what is the SHS position? How many covers did Potsie and the boys perform on "Happy Days" and I'd bet that series was released on DVD? The Dillards on the "Andy Griffith Show"?