Pandora’s costs are set to rise after agreeing to a 25% royalty increase with music publisher Sony/ATV, according to a New York Post story, citing industry insiders. The online radio service has been locked in a running battle with the music industry over royalty rates. The company has been among those supporting legislation introduced in Congress in September—the Internet Radio Fairness Act, that would lower royalties services like Pandora pay to record companies. In November, Pandora opened another front by suing the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to reduce its royalties to music publishers and songwriters. …

Havas is retiring its MPG and Media Contacts monikers as client-facing brands, the firm said Thursday. Those operations will be rebranded and folded into the newly created Havas Media Group. The move follows by less than a week the departure of MPG global CEO Maria Luisa Francoli Plaza from the company. At the time, no reason was given for her leaving but the fact that the agency brand she oversaw has been eliminated was likely a major factor. The company cited a need to simplify its integration strategy as the reason for the restructuring. Alfonso Rods, Havas Media Group's CEO …

Former Possible Worldwide CEO Trevor Kaufman has joined Tinypass as president and CEO, the startup paywall operator confirmed today. Tinypass helps bloggers and other content providers manage subscriptions and other fees that they charge consumers for access to their material. The company made a splash a few weeks ago when well-known blogger Andrew Sullivan said he was leaving the Daily Beast to set up his own independent blog and had teamed with Tinypass for paywall services. The company said Sullivan's blog has now sold over $500,000 worth of subscriptions. Sullivan said he was charging $20 a year. Kaufman was CEO …

eBay on Wednesday reported mobile transaction volume on its platform more than doubled in 2012 to $13 billion, while mobile payments handled by its PayPal unit tripled to $14 billion. The mobile gains helped the e-commerce giant increase revenue 18% in the fourth quarter to $4 billion. It posted earnings of $927 million, or 70 cents a share, beating analysts’ expectations by a penny. eBay has been one of the biggest players in mobile commerce in recent years as more and more of its users complete transactions through its mobile properties. "Mobile continues to rewrite the commerce playbook, and …

Tina Daniels has joined social media advertising platform Syncapse as Chief Revenue Officer. Daniels previously was director of global agencies in Microsoft's global advertising sales group until the end of 2011, where she was primarily responsible for managing Interpublic. Prior to Microsoft, she spent eight years at aQuantive's venue A|Razorfish division, rising to the position of vice president, global client development.

Mobile shopping startup shopkick on Wednesday said it turned a profit for the first in the fourth quarter of 2012, though it didn’t provide actual figures to support its claim. Launched in 2010, the shopkick app allows users to earn points, or “kicks,” toward rewards and discounts when they visit participating retailers. The company said its in-store shopping tool generated $200 million in revenue for partner retailers and brands last year including American Eagle Outfitters, Best Buy, Macy’s Target, and Procter & Gamble, up from $110 million in 2011. To date, it’s also driven 16 million verified store walk-ins, …

SapientNitro this morning announced the acquisition of 81% of iThink, a leading independent digital agency in Brazil. The move into Brazil marks the expansion of SapientNitro into the Latin American market. Terms were not disclosed, but iThink was founded in 2002 and has a roster including Castrol, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Google, and Samsung.

GroupM's Outrider Canada search marketing unit has been re-branded Catalyst Canada, following its integration wtih Boston-based Catalyst.

Interpublic this morning announced a strategic investment in mobile and gaming ad platform Kiip. The investment, which will be overseen by the IPG Media Lab division of Interpublic's Mediabrands, was part of a funding round that raised $11 million for the start-up. Interpublic's stake was not disclosed but it participated in the round at the end of 2012 with Relay Ventures, Hummer Winblad, True Ventures, and Digital Garage.

Virtually all marketers currently use or are planning to incorporate mobile into their marketing mix, with 85% planning to increase their mobile budgets in the near future, according to a new study by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and MediaVest. The finding was based on an online survey conducted during the fourth quarter among a sample of 68 client-side marketers (and ANA members) who are using or plan to use mobile media initiatives to reach consumers. While the survey indicated a widespread embrace of mobile marketing, it also showed continued frustration with the lack of ROI measurement and accountability …