Why can I just use Holsts “The Planets” as usual?
Selecting music for soundtrack production is a task often approached with trepidation. When talking about Mars, for example, you don’t want the snare drums beating and the trumpets blaring “The Bringer of War” from Holst’s The Planets (definitely NOT easy to talk over)! From an acoustic standpoint, it’s more difficult to concentrate on a narrator’s words when a 120-piece orchestra is sawing away at fortissimo; a strong theme and rhythm will conflict with any narration, no matter how low the loudness control is kept. And aesthetically speaking, that obviously terrestrial orchestra connotes EARTH, not MARS. Of course, commercial albums aren’t intended for soundtrack production purposes. They’re FOREground music, designed to be listened to only. Aesthetics aside, there are critical legal issues involved. To play any piece of music in your planetarium, you need to secure the public performance rights and obtain a license from ASCAP or BMI, so you can simply play the music in public. But, i
