This aspect is especially evident in the most ardent K-pop fans, who not only purchase the song recordings in either digital or physical format – but derive pleasure from the support of their favourite artist or group. Such fan fervour is courted and encouraged by South Korean media labels in several ways. One such way is having a certain amount of physical copies bought providing benefits to the fan such as entry into an exclusive event where they and others like them can meet and interact with their favourite idol or idol group. Another method is to have a specific photo-card for each group member in the physical CD releases, with one in each package. This directly influences some fans to purchase multiple copies of the same album in order to collect all of the photo cards. Such marketing behaviour goes far beyond what Adorno and the Frankfurt school thought possible in the 1940s and is indicative of crass-commercialism and the imposition of desires by the culture industry. .
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Members of Girls' Generation Yuri and Seohyun in the music video for "Secret," made to promote Pantene shampoo .
However, it would be amiss to label the physical sales of music as the primary product being sold in the culture industry of K-pop. Rather, it is the idols themselves who are the commodity. Put through the rigours of intense training from a young age, and essentially taught talent or had their natural abilities amplified through strenuous training – K-pop idols are held as an ideal form of existence for many in South Korea and fans of K-pop. The Frankfurt school bemoaned the existence of song recording mechanisms, believing that it diminished the impact of the live performance of art by making it re-playable at will – but the living and breathing product that is a K-pop idol is a consistent return on the traineeship investment of a company. This is due to idols constantly being in a state of self-promotion, and not just for musical sales but actually for all forms of media.