Idol CD sales seem to involve a lot of aggressive marketing these days

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Since the photo cards included with each CD are different, people end up buying multiple copies.
Even if you're a true fan of an idol, you have to buy a certain number of albums just to get a chance at a fan signing event;
and if you're lucky enough to be selected, you get to go.
I'm not saying it's bad, and it's something people do because they enjoy it, but the marketing is so aggressive that I feel like even idol fans would struggle if they didn't have money.
Actually, I remember seeing older girls buying CDs back in the first generation of idols, and it didn't seem this intense back then.
Is my memory playing tricks on me?