An offshoot of Lighning Records (q.v.). Scope started out as a label for in-demand Disco and Reggae records, but towards the end of its life it put out a couple of Pop / New-Wave-type singles. Lightning chose material for Scope by monitoring its import sales and licensing some of the more popular product of the smaller foreign companies ('Music Week', 2nd June 1979). The label was distributed by major record corporation WEA, who were also responsible for manufacture. With WEA's muscle behind it Scope got two of its first six singles - Janet Kay's 'Silly Games' (SC-2; 1979) and Errol Dunkley's 'O. K. Fred' (SC-6; 1979) - into the Top 20. There were other, lesser, successes, but despite them Scope seems to have vanished in 1980. It appears to have issued just thirteen singles, in an SC-0 series, often with 12" versions as well as 7". The number SC-13 seems not to have been used.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.