Against the backdrop of the intertwined evolution of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the digital economy is reshaping the development paradigm of the cultural industry at an unprecedented depth and breadth. This paper introduces the cultural data lifecycle theory into the interdisciplinary research on digital economy and cultural industry, and constructs a full-cycle empowerment model covering the entire process of cultural data including generation, collection, organization, utilization, persistence, and extinction. It puts forward a “dual-creator” collaboration mechanism to resolve the dilemma of fractured cultural inheritance in the era of generative artificial intelligence. From the perspective of urban-rural integrated development, the paper reveals the spatial spillover effects and regional differentiation characteristics generated when the digital economy empowers the cultural industry, which provides more accurate empirical evidence for policy formulation. Taking the coupling relationship between the digital economy and the cultural industry as the core research object, this study breaks the limitations of traditional single-dimensional analytical frameworks and establishes a four-dimensional analysis model consisting of the demand side, supply side, circulation side, and governance side. With a four-wheel drive system of technology, content, institution, and talent, it systematically elaborates the internal operating mechanisms and practical paths for the digital economy to drive the in-depth development of the cultural industry. This research possesses important theoretical values and practical significance for facilitating the cultural industry to grow into a pillar industry of the national economy and supporting the construction of a culturally powerful country.