Despite the prevalence of full-time employment, one-time or short-term work continued, however, and in the early 1900s, jazz musicians began referring to live-performance jobs at various venues as “gigs.”
The practice of relying on many individual money-making opportunities as a way to earn a living was commonplace until the late 1700s and into the 1800s, when the Industrial Revolution led many workers to full-time manufacturing jobs. Despite the prevalence of full-time employment, one-time or short-term work continued, however, and in the early 1900s, jazz musicians began referring to live-performance jobs at various venues as “gigs.”